And The Blood Runs Red
by OnHoldWiththeCall
Summary: Sincerest apologies, but this update is not a new chapter but an author's note. Please read if you wish.
1. The Guest

**Title: **And The Blood Runs Red...

**Pairing:** ZeroxIchiru (Minor pairings: KanamexZero/ZeroxKaname, KanamexYuki, ZeroxYuki, IchiruxMaria, and some non-con ShizukaxIchiru)

**Rating:** M for lemony goodness! ^^ If you don't like yaoi or if incest of any kind squicks you, DO NOT READ.

**Warnings:** This story is AU, much more AU than any of my other stories as it hardly resembles the original Vampire Knight plot at all! XD Anywho, this story being different, a lot of the characters are different than they appear in the manga. Namely Zero. Also, it should be noted that I do not like Yuki or Zero very much at the moment and that will certainly show. XD;

**Disclaimer: **I do not own "Vampire Knight". I just enjoy torturing the characters X3;

**Chapter One**

**The Guest**

I_n a foggy country somewhere in the dark, cold world, a delicate balance falls between humans and the ones who hunt them for the nourishment of their blood: vampires. After many generations of terrible war that drenched the land in blood, a tentative peace was struck between those who devoured the life force of others and the humans' private army against such supernatural creatures, the vampire hunters. However, a dark power threatens to shatter this already fragile amity. Someone seeks to return to an age of chaos and bloodshed, pitting vampires against hunters and humans alike. Someone intends to bring the noble and savage creatures of the night back to the times when humans were enslaved and seen as nothing but sustenance. Someone desires to bring the entire realm under their control, plunging society into an era of darkness and terror. Someone aspires to become all-powerful…_

_ Yet, there is an obstacle in this someone's path. Two born of a cursed fate, whose blood holds immense power, are the deciding factor for the future of the world. They can either bring about the destruction of the world as it is known or salvation for all. Those who carry out the conflict far away from the eyes of the public both vie desperately to get a hold of the pair and their blood. Even so, it lies solely in the choices of the two to divine the outcome…_

* * *

Nestled in the peaceful drizzling countryside, far from the noise and politics of the capital city of the realm, lay a large grey manor house, walls nearly completely covered by creeping ivy and surrounded by great flower gardens and sprawling orchards. Here was home to one of the most influential noble families in the realm; a pureblood family, no less. There was no luxury spared within or without these aged walls, and hundreds of servants tended to the estate. It was hard put to keep a secret with so many people about, so of course, there was never a time when no one knew anything.

So logically, right about now, the servants' quarters in the noble Hio estate were buzzing.

News had been received that in a few days' time, a most important and _unusual_ guest would be arriving at the manor. Naturally, the household staff was all of a flutter, and there was gossip abound. Many important persons had stayed within the walls of the house, most notably Prince Rido Kuran, the elder brother of the king and the lady of house's fiancé, but this particular person was different. Rumour had it that not only was this person a young, affluent (and reportedly handsome) earl, but he was also of hunter lineage, something with which no one in the manor had yet to come in contact. Apparently, he was something of a missionary sent by the king interested in promoting the pacifism between humans and vampires and wished to discuss his ideals with the lady in hopes of gaining the support of the Hio clan. Not only had this excited the servants, however. No, the person amongst them whom the lady had chosen to serve the guest upon his arrival stirred up the most scandalous talk.

"Is it true, Ichiru?"

Seventeen-year old Ichiru glanced up from the pot he had been scrubbing to the small grey-haired girl hovering near him, eager curiosity plain on her doll-like face. "S'what true, Maria?" he asked, blinking.

Young Maria Kurenai, a fellow servant of the house and Ichiru's best friend, appeared fit to burst from anticipation. "Is it true that Lady Shizuka chose _you_ to serve the earl?" she squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Ichiru flushed and returned to scrubbing the pot in earnest. "It en't that big o' deal," he murmured. "It's pro'lly just 'cause 'm the only human on staff, and she wants him t' feel more comfortable or somethin'. Besides, she told me t' wear my mask."

"Oh." Maria pouted for a moment, obviously displeased that Ichiru's identity would remain a secret from the earl, but then her face brightened again. "But this is still a great honour! I mean a earl and a hunter to boot! And there has to be _other_ reasons besides your being human that she chose you for! "

Shaking his head, Ichiru said, "I don't think so. T' be honest, I don't think Lady Shizuka likes me very much. "

"Nonsense!" chirped Maria, reaching up and giving Ichiru's short ponytail a brief teasing _yank_. "She saved you, didn't she? From that horrible orphanage you used to live in?"

Ichiru just bowed his head and said nothing. It was true that roughly ten years ago, the Duchess Shizuka Hio had shown up at the orphanage the boy had been living at since birth and had taken him away to her home almost as soon as she had laid eyes on him. The only clue she offered as to the explanation of why she did this was the words, "You look just like him." Even so, Ichiru had preformed a role as little more than a scullion, always being dealt the most menial tasks, but instead of being confined to the kitchen, he was often passed between the other departments. Not that he really minded. He got along well with nearly all the servants of the house. Well, everyone except the steward, Rin Saito, but that was a different story.

"Maria!" Both Ichiru and Maria jumped as the cook, Kenta Tachibana, came crashing through the kitchen doors. Kenta was a large man (meaning, rather muscular for a vampire) with a gruff, wild-looking exterior and a toothpick permanently wedged between his teeth. His dark hair was thick, covering a large majority of his body, and his black eyes were sharp and dangerous-looking, giving the impression that very few things got by this man. This was, of course, was entirely factual, as anyone in the Hio household could tell you, and was one of the reasons he was such a brilliant cook. "Maria! There ye be, girl!" Kenta barked as his astute eyes caught sight of the petite girl. "Yer not distractin' Ichiru, are ye? The big shot's got work t' be gettin' done!"

Ichiru's flush deepened at the words 'big shot' and he seemed to shrink as Maria shook her head frantically. "Oh no, sir!" she insisted, her blue eyes widening innocently. "I would _never_ do that!"

Kenta grumbled something intelligible in slight disbelief. "Yeah, well, ye got chores t' be done, too, girl. Be gone with ye!" He pointed firmly towards the kitchen doors.

Muttering a "yes, sir", Maria glanced back at Ichiru and gave him a small smile before skipping off to complete her tasks. Kenta observed the young housemaid scurrying off, grunting something about 'impertinent youth' before turning to Ichiru. "Ye've got quite a bit done here," he said gruffly, peering around the dim, almost perfectly spotless kitchen.

"Yessir," said Ichiru, now scouring the pot with renewed effort. "'M almost done, too." That was when he felt a forceful clap on his back, nearly knocking him into the sudsy water in the large, deep sink. He looked over his shoulder at the large cook, slight shock and indignation registering on his face.

"Ye've done good, kid," growled Kenta, fingering the toothpick in his mouth.

Ichiru's eyes flitted around the kitchen. "Um…" he said uncertainly.

"I'm not talkin' 'bout the washin' up," the cook grumbled impatiently. The boy could be a bit dim at times. "I'm talkin' 'bout servin' the earl. That's a big step up. It's nice to see yer hard work 'round here bein' appreciated."

"Th-thank you," mumbled Ichiru, his blush returning in earnest.

Kenta sighed and shook his head. Sometimes, he honestly worried about this young human. He was too soft-hearted for his own good. In the cold, cruel world of vampirism, he was going to end up terribly hurt, if he survived at all. "Get some rest, kid," he said as parting, clapping Ichiru on the back again.

Coughing a bit, Ichiru watched, slightly befuddled, as the cook left the kitchen. Disregarding it as nothing, he carried on washing the rest of the dishes.

* * *

Everyone's reaction to Ichiru's temporary promotion was different, as was to be expected.

Most of the female servants had responses similar to Maria's. They were completely ecstatic and offered the young man nothing but praise, much to the exasperation of the male servants. Ichiru had always been popular among the ladies of the house, first because he had been considered utterly adorable as a child and now that he had grown, the comments tended to lean towards words like 'handsome' and 'striking'. It was the common opinion amid the women that the human was as beautiful as any vampire and was almost _too_ beautiful to be a boy, something which caused the men to tease him quite a bit.

Speaking of the men, they were the much unneeded reality check for Ichiru. They were the ones who constantly reminded him that he was still just a servant (and a rather lowly one at that), no matter to _whom_ he was in charge of attending. They made sure that Ichiru kept up with his duties over the next few days before the earl's arrival, even being harder on him than usual just to make sure his head didn't get too big. However, there was little chance of that happening. Life had taught Ichiru to be modest. Being in his position and having a big ego often, if not always, led to trouble, as Rin constantly reminded him.

It was the day before the earl was due to arrive. Everyone was rushing around to prepare for his coming. Even Ichiru had been called away from his normal duties to help out the housemaids. This temporary reassignment made him even _more_ anxious than he already had been. He had never been in direct service of anyone before. Or at least, anyone this important. Sure, he worked in the Hio household, but Shizuka had her own personal servants who attended to her and her alone. When he was alone, Ichiru sometimes imagined what it would be like to be in the noblewoman's personal service. He was eternally grateful to her for, in his opinion, saving his life. To do nothing but serve her specifically would be a dream come true for him. He owed the woman everything…

"Ichiru! Quit daydreamin'!"

Snapping back to the moment at hand, Ichiru blinked as Naomi Watanabe, the head maid, dumped a neatly folded stack of freshly laundered bedding into his arms.

"Get these to the guest suite right away!" she ordered, pointing sharply to the door of the laundry room.

"Right!" said Ichiru, nodding before dashing off to complete his task. Naomi was not only the head maid and in charge of most of the household chores, she was something of the house mother for all the manor's servants. She was kind, but very stern, and no one _dared_ argued with her. Not even Kenta. If Naomi told you to do something, you did it. No questions asked. Unless…

Rushing down the hallway, Ichiru was so absorbed in following orders that he was hardly paying attention to where he was going. That was… until he suddenly collided with something very solid

"Ah!" Ichiru fell back on the hard marble floor, the rich red carpet just barely cushioning his fall. The bedclothes scattered everywhere, one even draping over Ichiru's head. Pulling the sheet off of his head, he glanced up and saw Rin Saito, the steward and most senior servant on staff, glowering down at him with his sharp black eyes. He gulped and hurried to his feet as he began to gather up the discarded sheets. _Shit_. Now they were going to wrinkle. Naomi was going to kill him. "S-sorry, sir," stammered Ichiru, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Leave them, human," sniffed the steward.

Ichiru froze as he reached for a pillowcase. Cautiously, he glanced up at Rin. "What? Why, sir?" he asked quietly.

"Lady Shizuka has summoned you. Follow me."

"O-okay." Slowly, Ichiru stood up and followed Rin, feeling a little hesitant. Lady Shizuka… wanted to see _him_? Why? She had already explained his duties during the earl's stay. What more could she possibly have to say to him? Not that he wasn't pleased to see the noblewoman again. He was glad of any chance to see her at all. When he had been younger, he would have done just about anything to catch a glimpse of the lady vampire. Now, however, he was a bit more reserved.

As they made their way to Shizuka's suite, Rin and Ichiru passed Maria, who was polishing an elaborate silver mirror. The girl shot her friend a questioning look as she saw him approach with the vampire steward. Ichiru mouthed 'Lady Shizuka' and shrugged, shaking his head and appearing just as confused as Maria. The small vampire whispered, "Tell me later?" as they drew level with her.

Ichiru gave her a small smile, answering, "'Course." Then, he looked away, his apprehension returning.

When they reached the ornate gold-inlaid double doors that signalled the entrance to Shizuka's suite, Rin stepped to the side and jerked his head a bit stiffly towards the door, indicating Ichiru was to enter alone. Feeling more than a little nervous, Ichiru knocked timidly on the door.

"Come in."

Ichiru, taking a deep breath, pushed open the doors and stepped into his mistress's room.

No matter what time of the year it was (in this case, late autumn), Shizuka Hio always made it feel like spring. This was even more evident in her rooms. The atmosphere was light and airy, Japanese screens depicting lovely spring scenes were artfully arranged around the room as white gossamer fabric fell from the ceiling and sweet-smelling tatami mats graced the floor. The French doors leading out to the balcony were flung open, filling the room with cool night-time air, causing all the fabric to billow softly and giving an ethereal ambiance to the room. Even Lady Shizuka herself added to this.

Her slender, elegant form rested atop a lavish chaise lounge, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting. She was clothed in a magnificent kimono of pink, lilac, and cream silk, with elaborate designs of cherry blossoms, whose faint smell always hung around the lady, embroidered onto it. The entire ensemble perfectly complimented her long, satin, white-blonde hair and flawless porcelain skin. Her blue eyes, so very slightly tinted with crimson as was common for vampires, were graced with long, thick lashes, giving her a seductive stare that threatened to pull one in to its remarkable depths. It was all Ichiru could do to keep from getting lost. In a word, Shizuka Hio was simply breath-taking.

"Ichiru," the lady vampire said, her voice as clear as bells and just as entrancing.

A light flush rising in his cheeks, Ichiru bowed quickly, deeply, and murmured, "Milady."

Shizuka said nothing more at first. She merely sent her waiting maids away with a wave of her graceful hand. As the girls all stood and bowed before hurrying away, their expressions solemn and unchanging, the noblewoman spoke again. "I am glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to have an audience with me, Ichiru."

Swallowing hard, Ichiru replied, "I could never refuse _you_, Lady Shizuka." _Or Rin, for that matter_, he added mentally, a chill running down his spine.

The vampire lady observed the servant boy critically for a moment. "I am sure," she said in a low voice. "I suppose you are wondering why I have summoned you."

Ichiru held his tongue.

"There are some things you need to know about the earl before you go into service for him tomorrow," Shizuka went on in the human's silence. Again, Ichiru said nothing and waited for his mistress to continue, which she did. "First of all, he is human, though you undoubtedly already knew that. The remarkable thing is although he is only human and of a hunter lineage besides, he has fallen in with some immensely powerful vampires. Namely, the Kuran children, Kaname and Yuki."

Ichiru felt his breath catch in his chest. Kaname and Yuki Kuran? The earl knew the prince and princess of the realm?!

"It is because of this that we must do everything within our power to please this earl. His connections are great and far-reaching, and one bad word from him could very possibly ruin us." Shizuka eyed Ichiru warningly at these words. "Unfortunately, my fiancé has informed me that the earl is a very difficult man to please. It is said that for the past several years, he has been searching diligently for something that he must not find. He must not ever find it. Understand, Ichiru?"

Swallowing again, Ichiru nodded. "Um, pardon me for askin', milady, but what _is_ the earl searchin' for?" he inquired before he could stop himself, wincing instinctively. As a child, he had been struck many times for daring to question a superior or speaking out of turn.

Shizuka did not hit him, however. She merely smiled, a tad evilly, and gestured towards the door. "You may leave now," she said.

Bowing once more, Ichiru made for the door. Then, Shizuka spoke again, causing him to glance over his shoulder.

"Remember your mask, Ichiru."

Inclining his head, Ichiru said quietly, "Yes, milady." He left the room.

* * *

Rin slipped into his lady's room, quiet and dark as a shadow, directly after the human boy left.

"Good evening, Rin," greeted Shizuka with an air of casual formality. She and the manservant were rather familiar with each other, the male vampire having been in the employment of the pureblood ever since she was a small child.

After bowing low, Rin straightened up rigidly and adjusted his plain black suit in disgruntled manner He was finally going to say the thoughts that had been plaguing him since the noblewoman announced her decision to put Ichiru in the service of the earl. "Do you think it wise, milady," he queried in that sharp baritone voice of his, "to place the human under the earl? The consequences could be disastrous, most specially with the master plotting in the wings."

Shizuka did not answer at first, merely smirking in that cruel, knowing way of hers. Resting her flawless check gracefully on her elegant hand, she at last spoke. "I am perfectly aware of the terrible consequences that could ensue as result of putting the two of them together and of what _he_ wants. However, that does not bother me in the least. That young man will become a new tool of torture for our dear earl. I wonder how he will react to me holding the object of his obsession, being able to play with it however I want…" _Besides, with Ichiru as a piece in my hand, there's a slighter chance he'll be harmed._

"You enjoy your play too much, milady," scoffed the steward.

"Perhaps," answered the vampire lady, her blue eyes adjusted in a far-off gaze. "We purebloods live on for the equivalent of an eternity. How dull would our existence be if we did not find some amusement?"

Rin sniffed. He still did not think his mistress' decision wise. In fact, he heartily believed it would be her undoing. Although, while he was allowed more leniency with the lady than most servants, there was a limit to how much disrespect and outright questioning he was rightfully allowed, and he had used it all up. Bowing once again, the butler murmured, "Whatever you wish, milady." He then backed courteously out of the room.

Once beyond the doors of the duchess' suite, Rin performed a pointed heel turn and slicked back his grey-streaked raven hair as was his custom when preparing for something particularly unpleasant. These next few weeks would be long and arduous, of that he was absolutely certain.

His shiny black shoes clacking against the marble, the steward strode off towards the main sector of the manor to make sure those good-for-nothing house workers weren't slacking off.

* * *

An hour before dawn found Ichiru in his room in the servants' quarters.

The daily (or would it be nightly) chores were finished, and most of the staff was in the common area and kitchen. The sound of their mirth floated down the hall, reaching the sleeping quarters along with the delicious smell of Kenta's cooking. Normally, Ichiru would have joined them, happily gulping down his dinner, sharing stories of the day, and laughing with the rest. Not tonight, though. Tonight, he wanted to be alone.

Sitting on his cot, Ichiru fiddled idly with his mask. It was a beautiful piece, to be sure, white ceramic and custom-fitted to him. Shizuka had had it made for him when he turned sixteen, around the time she stared having him accompany her to soirées while her fiancé was away. The reason for this still escaped him to this day, but he decided it was best not to question it. He was required to wear it whenever they had guests at the house as well; again, something he didn't know the reason behind. When he really thought about it, his life was full of mysteries.

A soft knocking came at the door. "Come in," said Ichiru, not looking up from his mask.

Maria entered, carrying a tray of steaming food. "I brought you some supper," she said quietly, closing the door behind her. "Are you feeling all right, Ichiru? You humans are so fragile…"

"You're one t' talk," said Ichiru with a grin, glancing up at his friend as she sat on his bed, the tray of food balancing on her lap. Maria stuck out her tongue angrily at him. It was to her constant shame that she was weak and sickly as far as vampires went. Ichiru had been the same until he had come down with a particularly bad fever when he was twelve and Naomi had begged Shizuka to give him her blood to save his life, consequentially curing him of his chronic ill health. "Anyways, no. I'm fine. I'm just… thinkin'."

Maria bit her lip. She knew from the mournful look in her fellow's eyes that they were entering sensitive territory. "About your family, right?" she said softly, not wanting to upset Ichiru. "That's what you're thinking about, right?"

Ichiru nodded sadly. Pondering the identities of his parents was a common downtime activity for him. He was the only person he knew without a surname, no family to speak of, not even dead loved ones to remember. Even Maria, who lived in the Hio household on her own, had parents elsewhere. Ichiru had been alone his entire life.

"I got a letter from Mother and Father," said Maria brightly in an attempt to cheer Ichiru up, to make him feel included in her family. "Would you like to read it with me?"

After a moment, Ichiru nodded slowly. He had met Maria's parents on several occasions when they were allowed on holiday. Personally, he found them a bit strange, especially her father, but then again, they thought the same of him, even if they didn't say it aloud. Still, it was the only family he knew of, and he appreciated Maria's attempts to include him.

Breaking into an encouraging smile, Maria reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a rumpled envelope. She struggled for a bit, but she soon got it open and extracted the letter, shaking it open and scooting closer to Ichiru so that he may read it as well. It said:

Dearest Maria,

How are you faring? The work is not too strenuous, is it? Last letter you mentioned falling ill… Please, my darling daughter, pace yourself. There is no need to work yourself to death.

Lady Shizuka continues to be hospitable towards you, yes? You were a member of the court as well, not so long ago, so she should pity your family's misfortune. Still, remember: it is a great honour to be in the service of a pureblood, no matter who you are or were.

Things in the Ichijo household continue as it has always been. Ichio is a menacing presence, as usual, and many on staff are still frightened to even mention him. Luckily, he doesn't associate with us workers very much. However, his grandson, Takuma, is pleasant enough. You remember him, don't you, love? You were still very young when the two of you last met. Still, I believe that the two of you would make a very good pair.

Besides marriage, your father has many different schemes to earn back our fortune. Let me confide in you, dear: sometimes, I truly worry about that man.

We have a holiday coming up soon. When do you have your next vacation? Let us know as soon as possible so that we may meet again! You may bring that human boy as well. Speaking of the boy, wish him well for us.

All our love,

Mother & Father

Ichiru sighed. "I'm still 'that human boy', huh?" he said, a grim smile playing on his lips.

"Well, yes," admitted Maria, smiling apologetically. "You know how they are… still clinging to old ideologies… refusing to let go of their vampire pride…"

"In other words, they don' like me," Ichiru said sardonically.

"No, no! It's not that they don't like you!" insisted Maria, waving her hands frantically in front of her. "They both agree that you're a very good person. It's just…" She trailed off and hung her head, a subtle blush rising into her cheeks.

"It's just that I'm human," Ichiru finished for her, sighing. "It's alright. I get it." Then, he reached up and placed a hand atop his friend's grey head. "C'mon! Cheer up, Maria! Tomorrow, your best friend's gonna be in the service of a very important person! Maybe I'll even get ya an audience. I hear he's really handsome. Maybe he's even prettier than me!"

This earned Ichiru a brutal punch in the arm, definitely bruising not only his skin but his muscle as well. "I am _not_ one of your fangirls!" cried Maria indignantly.

Laughing, Ichiru put up his hands defensively. "I know! I know!"

Maria stuck out her tongue at Ichiru again. "Well, at least you're feeling better," she sniffed, distempered.

Ichiru settled down but continued to smirk at the small vampire girl. "'Course, I do," he said. "Ya always make me feel better, Maria."

Her blue eyes going wide, Maria began to blush furiously. "Um… well, uh…" she stammered, glancing around the bare dimly lit room in a frantic effort to avoid Ichiru's eyes. "Um, you haven't eaten yet!" She hurriedly picked up the tray from her lap and practically shoved it into the boy's chest.

Blinking, Ichiru said, "Uh… th-thanks." He took the tray from the girl. He was just about to take a bite of the stew in the bowl when he noticed Maria staring intently at him, her petite jaw set and her small fists clenched. "Did I do somethin' t' make ya mad, Maria?" he asked cautiously.

Taking a deep breath, Maria began to speak. "Ichiru, I…" She stopped. She couldn't go through with it. She just couldn't. She couldn't confess to Ichiru. "…I just wanted to let you know that I agree with my parents. You are a very good man, Ichiru."

The statement caught Ichiru off guard. Where was this coming from, all of a sudden? "O-okay," he said hesitantly. "Thanks, I guess?"

The two servants sat in silence for a while, Maria having left a very awkward feeling in the air and knowing it.

Another knocking sounded at the door. "I'm comin' in," said Naomi. "So you two can stop whatever lovey-doveyness you got goin' on right now."

"Naomi!" cried Ichiru and Maria simultaneously as the head maid entered the room, a blush obvious on both their faces.

Naomi scowled. "Yeah, whatever," she said. Turning to Maria, she added, "You need to go help with the cleanin' up." In other words, she was trying to get rid of the younger maid so that she could have a private chat with Ichiru. Naomi often spoke in code.

"Yes, ma'am," chirped Maria. She then bent forward and gave Ichiru a quick peck on the cheek. "Good luck, with the earl and all." She quickly retreated from the room.

Naomi watched her young charge go, making sure she was totally out of earshot before she approached Ichiru. "You ain't sick, are you?" she asked gruffly. Ichiru shook his head. "Good. Can't have you gettin' sick with your important job startin' tomorrow and all." Then lowering her voice, she added, "Now, listen, Ichiru. I've heard some things about this earl and from what I hear; he's a pretty shady character. Most nobles are but I've heard he's one of the worst. If he hurts you in any way, you let me or Kenta know and we'll take care of him for you. Got to look out for our own, you know."

Ichiru smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your concern, ma'am, but I think I'll be okay," he assured her. "Servin' the earl can' be any worse than what I do now."

Frowning, Naomi nodded sternly and stroked her chin. "Still, you be careful, you hear?" she said.

"Alright," Ichiru promised. "I will."

Nodding once more, Naomi, too, let the human be.

* * *

"Human. Stop fidgeting."

For the past several minutes, Ichiru had been fiddling nervously with the sleeves and buttons of his black suit - so much more formal than what he was used to wearing - while he, Rin, and Lady Shizuka waited in the manor's entrance hall for the earl. The nobleman was due to arrive any second and Ichiru couldn't help it. He was too anxious.

Unfortunately, Rin had no patience for this. He never did. After Ichiru ignored his first order, the steward reached up and slapped the young boy upside the head, hard enough to smart. Ichiru shot Rin an indignant look before peering over to Shizuka like a wounded puppy with the hope Rin would be reprimanded. Either the vampire lady didn't notice or didn't care. It was most likely the latter, but Ichiru kept the false hope that his mask was simply doing its job and concealing his emotions as well as his identity.

"Cease that nonsense," said Shizuka darkly, referring to both her servants and not even bothering to glance over at them. "Our guest has arrived."

Rin and Ichiru both stiffened up, placing their hands behind their backs and squaring their feet. Ichiru took a deep breath. This was it. He thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

Shizuka nodded to Rin, who bowed and went to open the door. As he did this, the usual seductive smile played on Shizuka's perfect lips.

"Ah, my dear earl. Welcome."

Ichiru could not stifle a gasp.


	2. The Funhouse Mirror

_*A/N: I added the bit in this chapter with Ichijo, Aido, and Kain in this chappy for two reasons: a) it opens up the world a little bit more and I was starting to feel claustrophobic in my own story D: and b) it adds a bit more intrigue, doesn't it? Maybe? No? I could just be insane… You never know… ; ; I don't THINK I added anything else to this chapter but I can't remember ^^u I have the memory of a gold fish.*_

**Chapter Two  
****The Fun House Mirror**

The rumours had been true. Earl Zero Kiryu was terribly handsome. He also looked exactly like Ichiru.

Both had downy silver hair that hung in their hoary lilac eyes (albeit Ichiru's was longer, falling just below his chin). Both had slender faces, bordering on almost the effeminate, with perfectly identical features. When the earl removed his long black cloak and threw it carelessly at Rin (who was closest,) it was revealed that both young men were of the same lean build and of the same height. The only true differences were the thorny cross-shaped tattoo engraved on the left side of Earl Kiryu's neck, and the earrings he wore, one looping through the two holes in his right lobe and three interconnecting in the cartilage of his left ear, all undoubtedly made of pure sterling silver. Well, that and their wardrobe but that went without saying.

Earl Kiryu turned to Shizuka, an attractive scowl marking his mouth. "Lady Shizuka Hio," he growled quietly as though the mere name was poison. "As lovely as ever, I see."

Something about the tone of the earl's voice rubbed Ichiru the wrong way. He stiffened as the nobleman approached his mistress, a disapproving scowl appearing on his face.

Shizuka, however, did seem at all perturbed by Earl Kiryu's attitude. She merely continued smiling and said, "How was your journey, Lord Zero? Not too unpleasant I hope? The Kiryu manor is quite a ways from here…"

"I've travelled further," dismissed the earl. "In much less luxury as well."

"Ah, yes," replied the lady. "I've heard hunters travel quite far, seeking out and destroying the renegades of my race."

"We wouldn't have to if your hypothetical Senate were more adept at handling the problem of the Level Es themselves," retorted Kiryu, referring to the advisory body of the crown. It was well-known that the hunters thought the Senate was completely useless at whatever job they were intended to do. The king, however, did not seem inclined to disband it.

Still smirking, Shizuka said, "Of course. The Senate, however, has quite a bit more to be getting on with, don't you think?"

The earl sniffed. It was obvious that he, in fact, thought no such thing. Just then, Rin had returned, bowed low to Shizuka, and murmured, "The tea is ready in the parlour, milady, whenever you and the earl would like to retire there."

"Ah, yes," the lady vampire said, as though just remembering the existence of her servants. "This is Rin Saito, my steward. And that over there," she and Earl Kiryu turned to Ichiru, who quickly worked on making his face emotionless, "shall be your personal attendant during your stay. His name is Ichiru."

Ichiru bowed.

Kiryu frowned. "Ichiru," he said slowly, his brow furrowed as he began to stroke his chin. "He has no surname?"

Shaking her head, Shizuka sighed. "No, he does not. His story is a rather tragic one. However, he is a diligent and loyal worker, or so I'm told. My head maid speaks very highly of him."

So_ that_ was why Shizuka had chosen him. Ichiru made a mental note to thank Naomi the next time he saw her, even if he wasn't in the mindset of her exactly deserving it at the moment.

Nodding absently, the earl took a step closer to Ichiru, his eyes raking over him critically. He seemed puzzled. "He is human," he said quietly after a moment. It was not a question.

"Yes, he is," Shizuka agreed. "The only human on my staff. I assumed that you would be more comfortable with an attendant of your own race." There was a cold, amused connotation place on the last three words of the pureblood's statement, her glossed lips flickering in the merest example of a knowing smirk. This was lost, however, unless one was truly paying attention, which no one was.

"You know what they say about making assumptions, Shizuka," said Kiryu, crossing his arms, but not taking his cold eyes off Ichiru. "However, you were correct. I would much prefer a _human_ to be serving me than one of you filthy bloodsuckers."

Ichiru was shocked that the earl had said this aloud, in front of a pureblood _vampire_ no less! Was he completely tactless? Or maybe he just had a death wish? The reason for him being here in the interest of spreading pacifism was seeming less and less likely.

Shizuka, however, again seemed unruffled by the young nobleman's blatant rudeness. "You see, assumptions are not always bad, my dear earl," she said easily. "If one knows much about the person one is making assumptions about ahead of time, that is."

Turning back to the noblewoman, Earl Kiryu smirked. "Been having your fiancé spy on me, then, have you?" he said quietly, sounding almost amused. Shizuka said nothing, merely returning the earl's entertained gaze. "Well, I can't say I haven't done the same. I have done my own research on the Hio clan."

"Oh, you have, have you?" replied Shizuka. For the few moments after she said this, the two aristocrats simply looked at each other, as though trying to decipher the other's ulterior motives. Then, the vampire lady spoke again. "If I remember correctly, there is tea prepared for us in the parlour. If you would kindly follow me…"

The nobles then made their way to the parlour, followed a few steps behind by the two servants. Shizuka and Kiryu persisted bickering in a casual manner, making one almost believe that the two were easy friends with slight differences in ideals. Ichiru could see through this façade, however. He knew Lady Shizuka never made friends easily with anyone, and that she was a very opinionated woman, to whomever she was speaking. As for the earl, either he was being disagreeable on purpose, or he was just an extraordinarily contrary person. He seemed to find fault to everything the lady said or with everything in the house. In his defence, he did come up with intelligent counter-examples to support his points.

It was unsettling, however, the way Earl Kiryu's eyes kept flitting back to Ichiru…

After a minute, the small party arrived in the manor's airy parlour. The two nobles seated themselves upon the lavish chairs and couches while the two servants positioned themselves near the doors. Shizuka waved her hand and two maids appeared, hurrying over to the tea fixings.

"How do you take your tea, Lord Zero?" inquired Shizuka conversationally. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Neither. I detest sweet things," answered the earl.

Ichiru put another mental tally in the 'differences' category. Ever since he had first seen his doppelgänger, he had been keeping tracking of the similarities and dissimilarities between them. So far, the dissimilarities were outnumbering any resemblances. For instance, Ichiru quite enjoyed sweet things.

The tea was served, and the two maids disappeared. Shizuka then dismissed Rin and looked expectantly at Kiryu to do the same with Ichiru. The earl, however, seemed very reluctant to let Ichiru leave from his sights. After staring fixedly at the servant boy for a moment too long, he nodded subtly, indicating it was all right for Ichiru to leave, something he did gladly. He bowed one last time and then scurried off towards the kitchen.

* * *

"I can't _stand_ him, Kenta!"

A few minutes later, Ichiru was sitting on the kitchen counter, his mask removed and in his lap, watching the cook prepare the house's next meal.

"Ah, I'm sure ye're judgin' him a bit too rashly, boy," said Kenta, somewhat distractedly as he tasted a bit of soup simmering on the stove. "Ye've only know him for the past few minutes or so…"

"Yeah, but in those past few minutes, 've found out he's a rude and really annoyin' man, and he's definitely hidin' somethin'," snarled Ichiru. "Besides, the way he looks at me is downright creepy. I swear, before these next couple of weeks're over, 'm gonna seriously consider blowin' my brains out…"

Kenta spun around to face the younger servant, looking more than a little distempered. "Naomi worked hard to persuade the mistress to give ye this position so don't ye dare be complainin'!" he said gruffly. "Now, if ye want someone to complain to, I suggest ye go find that Maria wench ye're always hangin' 'round with. If not, I suggest ye clam up 'cause it don't do nobody no good to be complainin'. Besides, I've got plenty to be gettin' on with in here so best scoot anyway."

Ichiru blinked, slightly affronted at being snapped at, although he should know better. He needed _someone_ to complain about the earl to and he didn't know where Maria was at the moment. It wouldn't do to go wandering around the estate in an attempt to find her.

"Fine then," he sniffed, sliding from the counter and replacing his mask on his face. He exited the kitchen with every intent to rant to Maria later. Making his way back to the parlour, he stewed over every undesirable trait Earl Kiryu seemed to possess, taking note of which ones to truly emphasize to his friend later. He reached the parlour doors and positioned himself outside them, waiting to be called upon again. It was there he heard a few snippets of the conversation taking place.

"Let's not beat around the bush, my dear earl," Lady Shizuka's voice floated to his ears. "What is the true reason you have _graced_ the Hio manor with your presence?" She put a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'graced'.

"Pacifism, Shizuka," answered Earl Kiryu's voice coolly. It still bothered Ichiru that the arrogant man dropped the lady's title, as though he was addressing a common woman. "Just as Haruka and undoubtedly that slimy bastard of a fiancé you have said. That is truly my only reason."

It was at this point that Ichiru realized he was eavesdropping, a disgraceful habit among servants. No, he shouldn't be listening to this! It was wrong and most unbecoming. He was better than that! However, what the vampire noblewoman said next caught his attention, causing him to forget the amorality of what he was doing.

"Are you sure it is not for revenge? I can see in your eyes that you are still driven by such."

Ichiru couldn't see the earl, but he was sure he was smirking by the tone of his voice. "If you truly believed I was here for that, at this moment, would you have so carelessly welcomed me into your home? Or perhaps a better question: would I even be alive right now?"

Shizuka sniggered lightly. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I'm quite curious as to how you plan to carry out your little reprisal. Anyhow, if not vengeance, are you here as part of your search?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," relied the earl, mimicking the lady.

"You shall never find what you are seeking. You know it is forbidden."

"Ah, but it is the forbidden fruit that tastes the sweetest, is it not, Shizuka?"

"And here I thought you detested sweet things."

"Having fun, human?"

Ichiru jumped as a new voice hissed in his ear. Spinning around, he saw Rin glaring murderously at him. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened slightly at the horror at being caught eavesdropping, especially by the ill-tempered vampire steward. Bowing apologetically, he stammered, "S-sorry, sir! Please d-don' report me t' Lady Shizuka! I swear I won' do it again!"

Rin continued to glare at Ichiru as though deciding what would be the most horrible punishment for such a transgression. "I will let it go this once, human" he growled in a menacing voice. "The lady seems to have taken favour to you as of late and I assume this is your first offence. However, I catch you eavesdropping again and I will not be so gracious."

Letting out a relieved sigh, Ichiru bowed and said, "Thank ya, sir!" He had been almost positive that Rin would have his ear cut off and have him thrown out of the house or worse. Wait a minute… did the steward say that the lady had taken favour to him? Confusion intermingled with Ichiru's gratitude.

"We are expected," Rin said suddenly and Ichiru's mind ceased its musings.

"Oh, right!" Ichiru set his face in an impassive expression once more and followed Rin into the parlour. The maids from earlier were clearing away the dishes in a quick efficient manner, and Lady Shizuka and Earl Kiryu were casually discussing the annual masquerade ball held by the royal family that was soon approaching, as if their conversation from before had never happened.

After the maids had vanished yet again, Shizuka took notice of the two other servants presence. "Ah, prompt as always," she said appraisingly. "Ichiru, please show Lord Zero to his room. Rin, you may escort me back to mine."

Both men nodded, and Rin went to Shizuka, offering his arm in a gentlemanly manner. The lady vampire accepted this gesture and pulled herself gracefully to her feet. As she and the manservant took their leave, she turned to the earl and nodded as a sign of polite parting, which the young man did not return.

Once they left, Kiryu turned to Ichiru. "That hag's a bit of work, isn't she?" he said, almost cheerfully.

Ichiru said nothing, but his jaw noticeably went ridged and his stance stiffened.

"Oh, come on," coaxed the earl. "She can't hear us now. Feel free to say what you think. I don't take offence to free expression. There's nothing I hate more than complete submission."

This took Ichiru aback. Most nobles demanded total and unquestioning obedience from their servants, as well as others from lower class. Did this earl seriously mean to say that he would rather have others insult him and speak their minds than to submit to him entirely? Ichiru decided to test the waters. "Lady Shizuka saved me," he told the young nobleman firmly. "I'm forever grateful t' her."

Earl Kiryu frowned. This comment seemed to displease him. _Good_, thought Ichiru viciously. The earl then opened his mouth to say something but apparently decided against it. Instead, he said, "Will you show me to my room, then?" Ichiru nodded and motioned for the earl to follow him, not wanting to talk to the nobleman any more than was absolutely necessary. Kiryu stood and fell into a step behind Ichiru, regarding him with a troubled expression on his face as they left the parlour and began journeying down the many halls of the estate. After a few moments, he said, "Your name's Ichiru, isn't it?"

Ichiru nodded curtly.

"All right then, Ichiru," the earl said, "why do you wear that mask? Are you disfigured?"

"No," answered Ichiru shortly.

"Then why do you wear that mask?" inquired Kiryu again.

"Lady Shizuka tells me t'."

"Why?"

"…I dunno," Ichiru admitted.

"You've never asked her why?"

"It en't my place t' question the lady."

The earl fell silent again, but Ichiru could feel the waves of curiosity and irritation being emitted by the already dark aura that surrounded him. Earl Kiryu was obviously bothered by Ichiru's fidelity and compliance to the lady vampire. Again, Ichiru felt a small thrill of satisfaction. He was beginning to enjoy making the nobleman angry. It showed him, all right.

They reached Earl Kiryu's room, and Ichiru opened the door, bowing the nobleman through. He followed in shortly after, having not been dismissed yet. Closing the door behind him, he watched passively as Kiryu observed the room. "Ridiculously extravagant," the earl murmured distastefully. "As to be expected of vampires."

Ichiru cocked an eyebrow in slight bewilderment. Ridiculously extravagant? Wasn't the Kiryu clan supposed to be filthy rich themselves? Surely the earl had similar things in his manor. That was when Ichiru really took in the aristocrat's clothing. Having grown up in a particularly wealthy household, the servant boy had a keen eye for things of value and by looking at the earl's black wool suit, he could nothing overly expensive (for a noble) in any way. Kiryu obviously cared nothing for over-priced designer fashions, although it was apparent his clothes were custom-fitted. All the material seemed to be cheaper knockoffs of the more expensive varieties.

Yawning, the earl removed his jacket and tossed it untidily onto the bed. Plopping down on the foot of the grand king-sized bed himself, Kiryu began to stare raptly at Ichiru, an intense inquisitiveness once again flickering in his eyes. "Will you ever take that mask off?" he questioned after about half a minute.

Ichiru nodded. "When I go back t' the servants' quarters, yeah," he said. "I don' wear it all the time."

"Will you ever take it off in my presence?" inquired the earl.

"Lady Shizuka ordered me not t'," said Ichiru tersely.

"What if I ordered you to take it off?" asked Kiryu with a slightly evil smirk. "You _are _my own personal servant while I am here. I can do whatever I want with you..."

Ichiru blinked. He had never thought of this before. What if Earl Kiryu _did_ order him to remove his mask? He would have to obey him, right? But that would be disobeying Lady Shizuka. Weren't his obligations to his mistress more important than the ones to his temporary master? Besides that, he didn't like the way the earl had said 'I can do whatever I want with you'…

The earl smirked at Ichiru's internal conflict. "Now there's quite a dilemma, isn't there?" he said, leaning back on his hands and sounding amused again. "To obey the retched vampiress or me."

Beginning to squirm inwardly, Ichiru avoided eye contact with the earl. The young nobleman was starting to make him feel very uncomfortable and all he wanted to do was leave. He hoped that he would be dismissed soon. "I'm sure you are tired from your journey, milord," he said, the last word like bile in his mouth. "You prob'bly want your rest."

Kiryu's smirk deepened. "I'm making you uneasy, aren't I?"

Ichiru started. This earl was a perceptive one.

"Too bad," Kiryu continued. "I've taken a liking to you. I plan on enjoying your company for a while ye—ah!" Suddenly, the young earl doubled over, clutching at his chest. His breathing became laboured and ragged, his eyes squeezed shut and his brow wrinkled in agony. He gripped at the nearest bed post for support.

"Lord Kiryu!" gasped Ichiru in sudden panic, taking an instinctive step towards the earl.

"No!" rasped Kiryu angrily. "Get out! Get away from me!"

Ichiru hesitated. He may not like the earl but his kind nature prevented him from leaving someone in evident pain.

"I said LEAVE!" roared Kiryu. "I'll be fine! Just go! NOW!" The young man's aura had changed. It had gone beyond dark to downright deadly, invoking something in Ichiru's instincts that made his heart go cold from fright. His brain told him to run but his legs simply would not obey.

"LEAVE NOW, ICHIRU!"

Nodding, Ichiru backed away from the earl and then dashed from the room without a second glance back.

* * *

Ichiru returned to the servants' quarters in a daze.

Images of Earl Kiryu's sudden attack played over and over again in his mind. What had happened? Was the earl ill in some way? If he was, Ichiru could sympathize but for some reason, that didn't seem to fit.

As soon as he entered the common area, Ichiru was surrounded by a swarm of other servants (mainly women), all clamouring for information about the earl.

"Is 'e as 'andsome as the rumours say?!"

"Are the stories 'bout his wealth true?!"

"I heard he's a hunter. What does he act like in a house full of vampires, then?!"

"Does he _really_ know Prince and Princess Kuran?!"

"Alright everyone! Back up and give the boy some air!" This last voice was Kenta's as he shoved through the crowd towards Ichiru. he clapped his hands on Ichiru's shoulder, steered him out of the throng, and towards a roughly hewn wood chair. After pushing him rather forcibly down into the chair, the cook turned back to the restless mob. "Now, ye all can ask him yer questions. _One at a time_ so's not to crush him."

Despite his attempts, the other servants did not heed Kenta's words and begin questioning Ichiru all at once again. Ichiru was immediately overwhelmed, stammering uselessly in his attempt to answer everyone's question. Maria saw this and shoved to her friend's aid, managing to get her small form right next to Ichiru.

"Come on, everyone! Stop it!" she snapped, standing up on the table beside Ichiru. Quiet fell temporarily over the crowd as it had done with Kenta, all faces showing impatience at being interrupted. "Thank you. Now, we'll do this like we did when I was in school. We shall each raise our hand and I shall pick _one_ person to ask _one _question, which Ichiru will answer, if he can. Will that make everyone happy?"

"Yeah!" breathed Ichiru and a disgruntled mutter of agreement went out through the crowd as all the servants began raising their hands.

Maria smiled in triumph as she overlooked the crowd. "Okay… you may go first," she said, pointing to a maid towards the centre of the mob.

"What is he like?!" she asked immediately, begging the most basic question of all. An excited murmur arose from the others.

"Well, t' be honest, he's rude," said Ichiru bitterly, crossing his arms. "He's totally inconsiderate an' insulted Lady Shizuka _t' 'er face_."

Another murmur went through the crowd, this one of shock. No one _ever_ dared to insult a vampire directly to them, especially not a pureblood.

"What? Is 'e tryin' to get 'imself killed?" asked a male servant.

"Hey!" shouted Maria. "Hand!"

"That's what I was thinkin'!" answered Ichiru anyway.

More hands shot up, eager to have their questions answered at the fact that the earl was obviously a terrible audacious man. Maria chose another candidate.

"Is it true what they say about his wealth? That he's almost as rich as the king and queen themselves?" asked another maid.

"Um… I en't sure," Ichiru admitted. "He _seems_ wealthy 'nough, but I don' think he likes thin's that he thinks are _too _expensive or unnecessary. Like, he didn' like 'is room"

There was even more muttering at this. It appeared that everything about this mysterious nobleman was going to spark curiosity and gossip. Even Maria looked intrigued by the earl now. "Okay… next question!" she said, scanning the crowd before pointing to another young woman, who looked almost embarrassed to ask her question.

"Um…" she began timidly. "Is he… well, is he… is he… handsome?"

Ichiru hesitated. He was dreading the questions pertaining to Earl Kiryu's appearance. He looked solemnly to the young woman who asked the question. "I dunno," he said. "What do y' think of me?"

Blushing, the young maid giggled and said, "Why, I think you're very handsome, Ichiru! But what does that have to do with the earl?"

Again, Ichiru did not answer right away. He merely gnawed on his bottom lip nervously. Then, after a long while, he spoke. "It's got everythin' t' do with the earl," he said quietly. "He looks exactly like me."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the rain-slicked cobblestone streets of the capital city, three blonde young men in dark clothing occupied a shady alleyway in one of the more… seedy areas of town. Two of them, both bearing a noticeable family resemblance to the other, stood at the mouth of the alley, watching almost disdainfully as the third stooped over the bloody corpse of a well-dressed man, poking it somewhat childishly with his cane.

"Ah, yes," sighed Takuma Ichijo, his jade eyes flickering with a morbid cheerfulness as he observed the body, unable to wipe that natural grin of his face. "He was one of the Senate who supported pacifism. They seem to be dropping like flies nowadays. This is the third one this month, I believe."

"Could you hurry it along, Ichijo?" snarled Hanabusa Aido, the shorter of the pair behind the other noble. "It's rather cold, and I'm tired of standing around in the muck."

Ichijo glanced over his shoulder at his companion and grinned playfully. "Don't you think you're being rather insensitive, Aido?" he inquired lightly. "After all, this man has just been murdered, and you're more concerned with scuffing your shoes!"

The shortest blonde flushed and turned his face away from the elder aristocrat, murmuring something about how it wasn't their problem anyway. Murders such as this one had been becoming more frequent recently, the victims normally found horribly mutilated in what seemed a ritualistic fashion. A fair number of those killed had been nobles who supported pacifism between humans and vampires, but more still had been poor folk, easily discarded souls who were hardly missed by anyone other than their friends and family. Still, these increasing numbers of murders had caused the king to worry greatly, resulting in him sending out almost the entire police force to search for the killers. Even so, no one felt safe at the moment, and it was putting further strain on the vulnerable peace that existed between the two races inhabiting the world.

It was for that reason that is was, indeed, the young noblemen's problem. They were all fiercely loyal to the crown, and any trouble that plagued the royal family was their trouble as well. Ichijo was just about to point this out to Aido before Akatsuki Kain, Aido's cousin and the tallest of the three, spoke up.

"We really should be leaving, though, Ichijo," he said, his deep voice nearly monotone. Kain wasn't one for much emotion. "We don't want to be caught here and blamed for this. We should report it to Lord Kaname immediately."

Sighing, Ichijo straightened up and scratched his head with the hand in which he held his cane, pushing up the silk top hat upon his head. "That would be the best thing to do, but unfortunately, Kaname is on holiday with his mother and sister at the moment," the aristocrat pointed out quietly. "We shall just have to seek an audience with His Majesty, then." He then lowered his hand and strode over to rejoin his the three young men then proceeded to stroll out of the alleyway, leaving the corpse, whose dark crimson blood was still oozing forth, behind them.


	3. Removing the Mask

_*A/N: Okay, in this chapter I added more to the bit with Maria, and Ichiru's reaction to the earl's kiss more in-depth, both things which I think are important. Plus, I enjoy dealing with emotions (perhaps that's because I'm such an emotional person myself XD;). Oh, and if you're wondering about Ichiru's (and thus Zero's) birthday, I have a Colorstrology book thing that gives birthdays different colours and personality traits according to those colours. The colour for June seventh is called Violet Ice, which happens to be a similar colour to the twins' eyes. The personality traits it lists are seductive, musical, and inspiring, which I think more describe Zero than Ichiru, but hey. It's still a pretty colour. ^^ * _

**Chapter Three****  
**

**Removing the Mask**

Ichiru's first impression of the earl had been bad. His second was even worse.

Not only was the nobleman decidedly arrogant, implausibly surly, and absurdly contrary, he also had a temper. A violent temper. When in an especially dire mood, he would lash out at unsuspecting servants for completely superficial reasons, leaving Ichiru to apologize profusely for the damage caused in his wake. However, the aristocrat deliberately ignored his own appointed servant, acting as though the young man was simply invisible or just non-existent. Most of the time. Not that Ichiru wasn't oddly grateful for this, but he did vaguely wonder between apologies what had brought about this sudden ill temperament. He suspected it had something to do with the episode he had witnessed the night of the earl's arrival. Instinct, though, told him not to mention it.

This dark attitude of the earl's lasted several days, even escalating to the point where Ichiru would no longer be an inanimate object unworthy of much attention and would become yet another subject of Kiryu's unwarranted abuse. This usually happened late into the night, when the servant and nobleman were alone together, ergo there being no one else to beat, and always afterwards, Ichiru would be sent away immediately, the aristocrat appearing almost ashamed of what he had done. Kiryu only did that with him, something Ichiru found very strange. The nobleman seemed utterly unconcerned about the others he hurt. Ichiru could handle the abuse, though. It was not as if he had never been hit. Most the other servants were used to corporal punishment as well, having been brought from poor houses where that was the norm, so even they were not bothered when the earl lashed out at them. It was when _Maria_ became involved, however, that Ichiru finally snapped.

The tiny vampire girl had yet to encounter Kiryu. Nevertheless, she was already beginning to dislike him, becoming extremely protective whenever she observed the bruises left on Ichiru by the nobleman. He may have shrugged it off as nothing, but his friend seemed less certain. Every time she saw these marks, she began berating Kiryu under her breath, uttering a string of curses Ichiru wasn't even aware she knew.

Anyway, Ichiru and the earl met Maria one night on the way to dine with Lady Shizuka. The servant girl was mopping the floor near one of the second floor staircases as they approached, a bucket of soapy water next to her as she pushed the mop to and fro on the marble floor. As she noticed the two young men coming towards her, she glanced up and her jaw fell. Ichiru knew exactly what was going through her mind. She was thinking that he had been right, and that he and the earl were pretty much identical. This got the same reaction from nearly every servant who sighted Earl Kiryu. Unfortunately for Maria, the nobleman wasn't in the mood at which to be stared.

"Quit gawking, peasant," Kiryu growled dangerously, and before Ichiru could stop him, he backhanded Maria hard across the face, causing the girl to drop the mop and tumble over the bucket, getting dirty water everywhere, including on the earl. "Idiot!" he yelled, peering down at his soaked pant legs in disgust.

Neither Ichiru nor Maria paid much attention to the earl, however, for the moment the petite girl had been struck, Ichiru had cried, "Maria!" and rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her shoulders protectively as she sat up. "Maria, are you alright?"

Maria nodded timidly, her small hand pressed firmly against her cheek. "Yes, I'm fine," she assured quietly, avoiding eye contact with anyone in that characteristic submissive way of hers. Her illness had made her timorous by nature, causing nearly every one of the servants to feel a surge of defensiveness towards the girl, but none more so than Ichiru. So when Kiryu demanded coldly that Maria get up and clean up the mess she had made, the servant boy lost it.

"Who the hell do ya think ya are?!" Ichiru snapped, glaring daggers at the nobleman. "I've had enough! I don't care how rich or powerful ya are or that ya have an in with royalty! You do _not_ treat people this way!"

Eyes widening in slight horror as she gazed up at her friend, Maria stammered, "No, Ichiru… D-don't…" The girl would hate for Ichiru to lose his position because of her. Ichiru, however, didn't appear to have heard the vampire girl's protest and continued to glower at the earl. He was a bit surprised himself, to be quite honest. It was the first time he had outright snapped at someone of a higher rank than him. Had he not been so angry, he might be trembling with the fear of what would happen to him now.

Kiryu returned the servant's glare with matching intensity, although it was hard to tell with Ichiru's mask, but then, his expression softened as he observed the two house workers at his feet. He could tell that Ichiru cared about this girl much more than any of the others, and while this caused him to feel a pang of envy he couldn't explain, he was lightly entertained by this. "Hmph," he sniffed. "If that's the way you want it… my apologies for injuring the girl."

Ichiru nodded curtly, and Maria began to blush.

The earl continued to stare down at the pair at his feet for a moment as if concentrating hard on something. Then, his pale amethyst eyes widened in recognition. "You're the former Lord Kurenai's daughter, aren't you?" he asked of Maria, whose flush deepened as she nodded. Beginning to stroke his chin thoughtfully, Kiryu added, "I heard he and your mother are working in the Ichijo household. What, they didn't have the patience for such a useless maid?"

"She is _not_ useless!" Ichiru immediately came to his friend's defence, wrapping his arms tighter around Maria as though trying to shield her from the nobleman's cruel words. The girl certainly looked close to tears now.

This fact went complete unnoticed by Kiryu, however. He now had his eyes trained on Ichiru again, a pleased fire flickering in his eyes at the young man's outburst. _Yes, that's right… Fight me, Ichiru. You hate me, don't you? Well, no matter. That will change in time… _

"What're ya waitin' for?" snapped Ichiru, a chill running down his spine in response to the aristocrat's fixed gaze. Why must the earl look at him like that…? "Apologize t' Maria! Right now!"

With an internal shrug, Kiryu thought, _Why not?_ He'd let the servant boy think he'd won for the moment, think he had some sort of power over him. It would be more fun for him. These were the kinds of mind games he enjoyed, ones that he often played with his many consorts. Who was truly dominant, and who was truly submissive? Go on, take a guess! Only he knew. "All right then, Ichiru." Turning to the small teary-eyed vampire girl once more, he said, "My apologies, Miss Kurenai, for calling you useless as well as for your family's misfortune."

Still glowering at the earl, Ichiru gave a barely perceivable curt nod to show his slight approval. In reality, it would just be better if Kiryu weren't such a jackass in the first place.

A smirk played on the nobleman's lips. "Well, if that's all…" Kiryu began to walk away. After a few paces, he stopped as though a sudden thought struck him and glanced over his shoulder. "Ichiru, join me in the dining hall when you're finished here," he said nonchalantly as though the entire incident had never happened, reverting back to the haughty tone he had used when he had first arrived at the Hio manor. Then, with a maliciously amused undertone, he added, "And remember: romance amongst staff members is strictly prohibited."

Ichiru glared at the earl's retreating form until he disappeared from sight before turning back to Maria. "Are ya sure you're alright?" he asked, his voice laced deeply with worry.

Nodding vigorously, Maria pushed herself away from her friend and shifted into a knelling position. "Yes, I'm perfectly all right," she insisted, brushing off her black skirt. She then glanced over to the sopping mess on the floor, groaning. "I need to clean this up," the elfin vampire said miserably. "Naomi will kill me if she sees this…"

"'ll help!" offered Ichiru enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet and presenting his hand to the maid still on the floor.

Maria shook her head as she took her friend's hand. "No, no, I can do it myself," she said, pulling herself to her feet with Ichiru's help. "You better get to the dining hall before you get into trouble with Lord Kiryu."

His face contorting into an aberrant scowl, Ichiru crossed his arms huffily. "The longer 'm away from _h__im_, the better," he snarled.

"Ichiru," Maria sighed. "Don't go and get you yourself into to trouble for my sak--"

"He hit ya, Maria!" Ichiru snapped, spreading his arms out exasperatedly.

"He's hit you, too, Ichiru!"

"Yeah, but 'm the only one he actually _cares_ 'bout hittin'!"

Maria blinked, taken slightly aback. "What do you mean?' she questioned softly.

His flush hidden by his mask, Ichiru turned his face away from the small maid. "Never mind," he muttered. Then, turning back to Maria, he added with the utmost seriousness, "I'd never hit ya. No matter what ya did, I'd never _ever_ hit ya."

"I know, Ichiru."

"I en't nothin' like him."

Opening her mouth, Maria was about to say something before she decided against it and averted her eyes. "I know," she said again quietly. She glanced back over to the watery, sudsy mess once more. "I really need to tidy up here." She started to make her way to the nearest supply cupboard for towels and rags.

Ichiru took a step towards Maria, his hand outstretched. "Are ya sure ya don' need any help?" he asked, sounding almost desperate.

Spinning around half way, Maria laughed at the forlorn tone of her friend's voice. Was he really that desperate to avoid the earl? "I'm completely certain I can handle this by myself," she assured cheerfully. "You just get to the dining hall before _you_ get into trouble!" With that, she skipped off, her long grey hair fluttering behind her.

Feeling distinctly defeated, Ichiru lowered his hand and turned away, heading resignedly towards the dining hall to rejoin the earl. As he did so, the conversation he and Maria had had the night of Kiryu's arrival began playing in his head:

_The sun had well risen and a vast majority of the servants had gone to bed, having exhausted all their questions for Ichiru. That just left the young man and Maria alone in the galley, something for which the human was glad. It was a relief to get away from the over-inquisitive masses and just be with his best friend, who was naturally quiet and not prone to prying. Still, they remained deep in conversation, of which the topic was the mysterious nobleman._

_ "So, he really looks just like you," Maria said in wonderment, sitting back in her chair._

_ Ichiru nodded sullenly. "Well, he has shorter hair an' a tattoo an' earrin's, but other than that, it's like lookin' inna mirror," he grumbled. "It's kinda creepy, t' be honest."_

_ "I think it's fascinating," said Maria with a quiet smile, a curious excitement flickering in her blue eyes. "It's been a while since something interesting happened around here. Prince Kuran's a bit old hat. He comes around too much, and there's nothing very interesting about him besides the fact he's extremely disturbing."_

_ Ichiru had to laugh at this. Yes, it was true the dark, imposing form of Rido Kuran did appear quite often around the estate and it was widely agreed upon that the pureblood male was very creepy, though no one said it aloud where prying ears might hear. However, the comment regarding Kiryu needed to be addressed. "It en't all that interestin'," he said. "It's just weird. T' me, anyways."_

_ "Really? How so?"_

_ "'How so'? How'd ya feel if ya suddenly met someone who looked exactly like ya an' not only that, but ya had to serve 'em , too? Wouldn't that weird ya out in the least?"_

_ Shrugging, Maria gained a pensive expression. "Maybe, maybe not." She was silent for a few moments then, just gazing thoughtfully off into space. After a little while, she spoke again. "What if, just what if, this earl could possibly have something to do with your past?"_

_ Ichiru coughed indignantly and sat up stiffly in his seat. That arrogant, surly, tactless aristocrat? Have something to do with his past? Over his dead body! "I don' think so," he said sulkily. "I'd rather have no family at all than be related in even the teeniest way t' that bastard."_

_ "Ichiru, shush!" murmured Maria hurriedly, pressing a delicate finger to her lips and glancing nervously around the room as though someone would overhear and reprimand them. She was sure Ichiru would be severely punished if someone, such as Rin, were to hear that little outburst. Then, all of a sudden as a thought struck her, the petite vampire started giggling._

_ Blinking, Ichiru stared at his small friend in confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked._

_ At first, Maria was laughing too hard to answer. Then, while struggling to catch her breath, she gasped, "I was just remembering 'The Prince and the Pauper'! Do you think you and the earl would ever switch places?" She erupted into a fresh fit of giggles as she imagined her friend as the proverbial Tom Canty trying to fit into life as a nobleman._

_ Ichiru shoved his thoroughly amused friend lightly. "That's even less funny than Earl Kiryu bein' related t' me!" he cried, trying to sound insulted but his smile gave him away. It was terribly funny to imagine Mr. High-and-Mighty Kiryu being forced to do all of his chores._

_ "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" giggled Maria, waving her hands defensively in front of her. After a while, she calmed down and said, a little breathlessly, "Maybe you're judging the earl a little too harshly. How about you just try to get along with him these next few weeks? Wouldn't it be wonderful to possibly find out about your family?"_

_ "Ya sound just like Kenta," mumbled Ichiru, trying to be insulting but without much conviction. He bit his lower lip and avoided eye contact with Maria. Yes, he would love to discover his origins. He had so many questions for whoever could be connected with his past, most of which concerned his parents. Were they alive or dead? If they were alive, why did they abandon him? Why did he leave him in that horrible orphanage? Maybe they thought he was as good as dead anyhow. He had been told many times at the orphanage that he was lucky to make it past infancy with how weak and sickly he had been. However, what if his parents were dead? If so, how did they die? What kind of people were they? So many questions dashed around in his head and he had a hard time deciding which one he would ever ask first. _

_ Maria could sense her friend was deep in thought and knew better than to disturb him. Getting up from the table, she leaned over and gave Ichiru a soft peck atop the head, something she had customarily done since the boy was very young and first brought to the manor by Lady Shizuka. "I'm going to bed," she said with a quiet smile, although she highly doubted Ichiru heard her. "Try not to stay up too late."_

_ Besides nodding distractedly, Ichiru barely acknowledged his companion's exit. He didn't even heed her words, ending up getting only a few hours of sleep that day._

The events of the pastfew days only served to prove to Ichiru how much he did not want to be connected to Earl Kiryu in any way. Just being his personal attendant was bad enough.

* * *

Little did the young human know that in the dining hall, his mistress and his interim master were having their own little discussion about him.

"Where did you find Ichiru, Shizuka?" Kiryu asked in a seemingly off-handed way, swirling the rich red wine in his glass.

Shifting a tad in her seat to the earl's left, at the head of the table, the lady vampire answered, "Why does it matter, Lord Zero?"

The nobleman shrugged. "Curiosity," he said in half-truth, setting down his wine and looking intently at Shizuka. "It seems strange to me how a human boy with no known surname ends up employed in the house of one of the most influential pureblood family of our time."

"Hm," replied Shizuka, completely certain the earl was only telling half-truths, if truths at all. "If you must know, I found him at St. Lukia's Orphanage, living under absolutely dismal conditions, but of course, you know the horrendous reputation that place has. In fact, I chose him because he reminded of you as a child…" She gave the noble to her right a cruel smile. "You remember, don't you?"

Kiryu narrowed his eyes, glaring dangerously at the duchess. "Don't even jest about that, Shizuka," he warned, "or my originally planned peaceful visit might end badly for the both of us."

Chuckling lightly, Shizuka took a swig of her own wine, but did not answer.

So the earl continued the conversation, still focusing on Ichiru. "Why do you make him wear that mask?" he inquired. "According to him, he's not disfigured in any way."

"No, he is not," said Shizuka. "He's a rather handsome boy, actually."

"Then why the mask?"

Sneering, the pureblood said quietly, "It's for his own protection, Lord Zero."

"Protection? Protection from wha--"

Just then, the door to the dining room opened and closed, Ichiru trying to slip in without bring much notice to himself. Regrettably for him, all occupants of the room (Rin included) had impeccably sharp hearing that far surpassed a normal human's. "Speak of the devil," murmured Shizuka, leering playfully.

"Nice of you to join us, Ichiru," said Kiryu snidely, resting his cheek on his knuckles as Ichiru bowed apologetically before scurrying over to join Rin. The earl chuckled at the obviously tense aura that was coming off the human boy. He knew it was him that made the young man uncomfortable and he couldn't help but enjoy it.

The rest of the dinner proceeded quietly. Well, as quietly as it could with Kiryu making a snarky remark every chance he saw. The sound of the earl's voice was beginning to grate horribly on Ichiru's nerves, making him grit his teeth every time the noble spoke. It didn't help matters that the earl sounded almost as much like Ichiru as he looked like him, but again there were subtle differences. Finally, the whole affair was over and upon rising from the table, Earl Kiryu expressed interest in seeing the gardens that the Hio estates were famous for. Shizuka gave him her blessing, but informed her guest that she could not accompany him, that she had other business to attend to. However, she assured him that Ichiru would be more than enough company and Kiryu did not have any protests, though Ichiru had many. That was how Ichiru found himself in one of the most awkward situations of his life.

At first, the two look-alikes said nothing to one another, merely strolled through the gardens, gazing at the fall foliage and gradually wilting flowers. Even near the death of wintertime, Ichiru still found the gardens to hold a sort of sad beauty. He and Maria used to play here often when he was still a child (Maria would forever be older than him, even if her age in vampire years was less than that of his in human years, being only sixteen amongst her kind and having not changed much since they first became acquainted) . Sometimes, when work was especially difficult, he wished they could back to those days but he knew it was impossible.

Suddenly, Kiryu whipped around and gave Ichiru a solemn look. "When is your birthday?" he asked snappishly.

"W-what?" asked Ichiru, blinking in confusion.

"When is your birthday? Come on, it's not that difficult!"

Ichiru hesitated a moment before answering, "June seventh. Why d'ya wan--"

"And you're seventeen, I presume?" Kiryu cut in.

"Y-yeah?" Ichiru was terribly bewildered by this point. What was with all the sudden questions involving his age and birth date?

Snarling, Kiryu took a step closer to Ichiru. "I am sick of this mask," he growled. He made to reach for the object of his distaste, seeking to snatch it right off the other boy's face.

"No! Lord Kiryu, wait!" However, it was too late. The earl had already seized the mask and threw it to the ground, crushing it with his foot. Ichiru stared at the shattered pieces in horror. Lady Shizuka was going to murder him… He looked up at Kiryu, an incredulous expression on his face. That, conversely, was when things became strange.

Kiryu's hardened, angry expression dissolved into a smile. Not a condescending smirk, but a true, genuine smile. His misty lilac eyes lit up like that of a child's on Christmas morning. Softly, ever so softly, he whispered, "I knew I'd find you." Taking a step towards Ichiru, he wrapped one arm around the other man's waist, pulling him in closer, while resting the other hand on the back of his head. Then, he bowed his head forward, closing the minimal amount of space between his double's face and his so that their lips met.

Initially, Ichiru was too shocked to put up much of a resistance. What was going on here? One moment, he was being interrogated about his date of birth and the next, _he was kissing Earl Zero Kiryu_! Or rather, the earl was kissing him, but that didn't change the fact that he was standing there in the middle of what was considered one of the most romantic places in the country locking lips with another man! Finally having come to his senses, Ichiru shoved Kiryu roughly away and before the aristocrat had time to collect himself, Ichiru struck him forcibly across the face.

"Who the hell d'ya think ya are?!" Ichiru shouted for what he realized was the second time that night, a distinctive flush rising in his cheeks. "Nothin' gives ya the right t' smack people around an' nothin' gives ya the right t' steal a person's first kiss!" Then, feeling very flustered, the young man stormed away, leaving a very shocked, albeit very pleased earl in his wake.

* * *

Touching the cheek Ichiru had slapped gently, a vastly pleased smirk grew on Zero's lips. He had found exactly what he had been searching for many a year, and he couldn't be more thrilled. Not only that, but he proved he was a fighter, speaking truth to his supposed lineage. He would not bow so easily to his other half, no matter what sort of connection they shared. That was immensely more interesting than a meek little mouse who never tried to defend themselves.

Turning to the dying rosebush beside him, the young earl plucked a dried-out rose and gazed out it thoughtfully. So that had been Ichiru's first kiss, eh? Well, he was glad he now possessed that little part of the young boy, though he sought to possess more. Crumpling the rose and scattering its sweet-scented fragments into the autumn wind, he pondered, with a thrill, how well his plan was going. Now, there was only one thing left to do…

He needed to possess Ichiru, in every way possible.

* * *

Safely back in the servant's quarters, Ichiru had buried himself under the blankets of his bed, his face still beet red from the altercations in the garden. For the moment he had left the earl standing there amongst the dying flowers, the servant boy had been a figurative whirlwind of emotions, all swirling around in him all at once. There was anger, hatred, shock, confusion, and shame, all tormenting him relentlessly and keeping him from sleep. Anger for having his first kiss stolen from him, hatred at Kiryu for being the one to do so, shock that the gentleman hunter had even kissed him in the first place, confusion as to why the arrogant earl had kissed him, not to mention all the confusing things he said, and shame that he had actually blurted out that it had been his first kiss, making him look like a total fool. Now, that insufferable noble would know he forever had that part of Ichiru. Hell, he was probably having a good laugh at him right now! _Idiot_, thought Ichiru, covering his ears as though to block out the imagined sound of Kiryu's mocking laughter. _That's what you are, Ichiru. A complete idiot_.

That did not explain, however, why Kiryu had been moved to kiss the servant in the first place. Had his narcissism become so great that he decided to go after someone was nearly perfectly identical to himself? _Most likely_, thought Ichiru bitterly as he gripped angrily at his sheets, gritting his teeth. Yet, that did not explain what the earl had said to him right before the kiss. _I knew I'd find you_. This statement only added to the young man's puzzlement. Could it be that _Ichiru_ was the thing Kiryu had been searching for all these years? Did this mean that the nobleman was really connected to his family in some way? This was when another thought struck him. Lady Shizuka had said that the earl was not ever to find what he had been looking for. If Ichiru_ was_ what the hunter had been seeking, that meant… the servant boy had royally messed up. Had Lady Shizuka known this? She couldn't have. She had been the one to warn Ichiru that the aristocratic hunter was not to find what he was hunting for. There was no way she could have realized that it was him all along, if it even _was_ him in any case.

Groaning miserably, Ichiru rolled over and buried his face into his pillow. Why was this happening? Why did this earl have to show up and confuse him even more than he had been before his arrival? Why did it even have to be this bastard, anyway? Why couldn't it have been some kind person who would have helped Ichiru instead playing games with him, trying to inevitably turn him into a bed toy? At this, the young man grew angry again. No! There was no way he would become this playboy's latest conquest! He didn't care if the man had his first kiss, there was no way he'd get his first time as well! That would be just too much. No, he would resist the earl's supposed "charms", showing him that not everyone feel in love with him at the drop of a hat.

_ Ichiru grinned deviously into his pillow. That was right. That stuck-up jackass had another thing coming to him if he thought the servant boy would just fall willing at his feet, just like all the others. Finding peace with this idea of a private rebellion against Earl Kiryu, Ichiru finally drifted off to sleep._


	4. Unwanted Attentions

_*A/N: Finally! I got it done! After a series of groundings and a nasty case of writer's block, I finally was able to churn this out! …Hopefully it's not as bad as I think it is ^^7 Well, enjoy! Oh, on a separate note, I redid the first three chapters and I added a whole bunch of new things, so I recommend rereading those ^^u I just felt like more could be said or added… Now, I promise to make sure each chapter is EXACTLY what I want before posting!* _

**Chapter Four**

**Unwanted Attentions**

The sprawling metropolis that was the capital city of the realm was ablaze with the night-life: an oasis of bright warm welcoming light in a desolate wasteland of darkness. Aristocracy and common folk alike wandered the cobblestone streets in search of a good time. Ruddy-faced drunken gentlemen fresh from the pubs and taverns chased playfully after flirtatious women with over-painted faces and the red light District was approaching its busiest hour. The entire town seemed jovial and so full of life it was nearly infectious. This all-encompassing cheerfulness, however, could not seem to penetrate the dark aura of gloom and fury that appeared to presently surround the Royal Palace in the centre of town.

Most of this dour fog was issuing from the young prince of the realm, as it would appear. Prince Kaname Kuran had only just arrived home after visiting his mother and younger sister at their castle in the countryside, merely to be accosted by a young messenger with hair the colour of straw as he stepped down from his carriage. The messenger carried a letter emblazoned with a crimson wax seal that contained the Kiryu family crest, something which the handsome brunette recognized immediately. The letter was meant for his father, the king, but upon seeing that it was word from the hunter earl, with who he was… 'well acquainted', Kaname found that he absolutely must read it. He snatched the heavy parchment envelope away from the messenger and slit it open right in front of the boy, who did not argue. The boy had been informed that the contents of the letter were quite secret (which didn't really matter to him since he couldn't read in any matter) and was to be delivered directly to the king, but the prince had been the first one the messenger had seen and he believed he could trust him with the letter. Besides, the Kurans were the most powerful pureblood clan, being the direct descendants of the ancestor of all vampires, while also being the royal family. There wasn't much, if anything at all a common vampire such as the boy messenger could do to defy a Kuran. However, it quickly dawned upon the young vampire he should have just gone to find the king.

Kaname's wine red eyes steadily darkened as they flitted back and forth across the yellow parchment paper. What…? Suddenly enraged, the pureblood destroyed a nearby column telepathically, almost giving the poor messenger boy a heart attack as he jumped back and stared wide-eyed at the fragments of plaster, before storming through the wrought-iron palace gates and along to pathway to the enormous front doors. He burst through said doors with much more force than was necessary, cracking the walls and causing many a vase in the foyer to topple from their pedestals and smash on the cold marble floor. When a maid hurried forward to clean up some of the shards, the fuming prince rounded on her and demanded angrily, his curly dark locks falling menacingly into his eyes, "Where is my father? I must speak to him immediately!"

Trembling at her lord's rage, the timid little maid squeaked, "He's… he's in his study, Your Majesty!"

Gritting his teeth and growling deep in his throat, Kaname turned on his heel and stormed up the grand staircase. The letter from the earl was still clenched tightly in his fist, rather worse for the wear now. As the young man continued his march to the king's study, flowers wilted, mirrors cracked, and servants quickly scurried out of the way as he passed. It was common knowledge that whenever Kaname was in a temper, it was best just to avoid him, although luckily for everyone, it rarely happened. Finally, after much raging and general frightening of all persons in the vicinity, the furious brunette arrived at his father's study. He didn't even bother knocking. He just erupted into the study, the sturdy oak doors flying open of their accord, causing the king to glance up from the myriad of paperwork on his handsome rosewood desk.

"Oh, hello, son," Haruka Kuran greeted his eldest child brightly as he stomped towards him, seemingly oblivious to the prince's foul mood. "What brings you her--" The elder pureblood was cut off abruptly by the action of a leaf of paper being thrown down forcefully in front of him. He blinked in partial surprise.

"Explain yourself," Kaname demanded of his father as the other brunette picked up the letter and began to skim it curiously.

As he read, a delighted smirk began to tug on Haruka's full lips. Ah, a message from Earl Kiryu! It seemed so long since he had heard from the boy, truly heard from him. That last communication the two of them had had was the request that Kiryu spend a week or two within the Hio household on account of a lead the king had received regarding the earl's quest. "Kiryu seems to be doing well," he murmured conversationally, still feigning ignorance to his son's anger. "Seems he's met a servant boy named Ichiru… cute name, if rather unfortunate…"

"How dare you help him?" snapped Kaname, slamming his palms onto his father's desk and nearly breaking it in half, scattering papers all over the floor. "What on earth possessed you to practically lead him directly to the one thing in this world he was not meant to find?!"

Haruka regarded his son with a blank inquisitiveness, blinking innocently. "I was only assisting a family friend, Kaname," he insisted. When the angry prince persisted to glower murderously at him, he sighed and lifted himself from his seat, meandering around his desk to face Kaname properly. Father and son stood facing each other now, both with their arms crossed as they stared each other down. Kaname stood stiffly, still carrying a dark furious aura about him while Haruka appeared particularly laid back in comparison, albeit a little vexed. "This is not about me helping Kiryu, is it?" the elder Kuran said quietly, lifting a graceful eye brow quizzically.

"Of course it is, Father!" retorted Kaname exasperatedly, throwing his arms out to the side. "Zero was searching for what could be the biggest taboo in human history, something that shouldn't even exist! His parents should have destroyed it already, but they ignored tradition and now look at all with which we have to deal! All this trouble with the Mors Mortis Lilium*…"

"Do you think that the Mors Mortis Lilium is the fault of the compassion our dear friends displayed?" Haruka challenged his son. "For I have news for you, Kaname: the Mors Mortis Lilium existed long before the late earl and countess' time."

"Yes, but they obviously kno--"

"They do not know. Gin and Hitomi made absolutely sure no one knew. Even Kiryu himself did not know for the longest time." Haruka strode away from his fuming child nonchalantly and began pursuing the many bookshelves that populated his study idly, somewhat looking for something but also somewhat not. The prince was being selfish despite his guise of defending an ancient tradition that should perhaps die out. The king was well aware of Kaname's true reason for being angry with him, a reason bred of ignorance that was partially Haruka's fault. He had not been completely honest with the heir to his throne and that was a problem. Kaname was, after all, a young man of eighteen and clearly a child no longer. It was time for his father to be honest with him, about everything. "Kaname, do you truly know the foundation on which that ancient human taboo was set?" he inquired softly, his back still to his son.

The younger brunette shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. This was not where he had expected this conversation to go at all. It was common courtesy that no one discussed one of the realm's darkest traditions, that it simply be ignored. No one wanted to face the heinousness of an act that was so engraved into society. For his father to bring it so openly into discussion… "I know the basis of it, yes," the young prince admitted cautiously.

"Hm." Haruka extracted a rather old tome from one of his shelves and, letting it fall open in his hand, turned back around to his son. "The origin of the legend can be traced back into the darkest periods of human history, when vampires first began to roam the earth. Twins have forever been a mystery, especially identical twins. It has long been believed that identical twins were a single person split into two separate entities, thus a divided soul. For centuries, it has been regarded as a grave sin to split a soul, one of the most grave to ever be committed, consequently making twins extremely sinful beings from their very birth. Humans, as well as some vampires, try to atone for this by sacrificing the younger twin, thinking that the soul of that twin will return to its elder's body and merge with their half of the soul, causing that child to be a complete person. Foolish, really, but it is so ingrained into both human and vampire culture alike that no one bats an eye at the thought of putting innocent children to death. Still, there are the few who believe this practice to be wrong."

The atmosphere in the lavish study suddenly became very tense and dour, even more so than when Kaname had first entered. Neither vampire spoke, Haruka leafing mildly through the book in his hand while Kaname stared solemnly at him, his fury with his father long since quelled. Yes, he had known the fate of all second-born twins in the realm, but it still horrified him. As a child, he had often wondered why his father did not simply ban the practice, although now he knew it was because there would be an uprising of grand proportions if he did. However, he also knew of a noble family who had often pleaded with the king to outlaw the ritualistic killings. "The Kiryus," the younger pureblood finally spoke up softly, drawing attention back to the ones who had started this whole discussion in the first place.

With a soft smirk, Haruka nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "The obviously did not follow this tradition when their own twins were born. Do you remember that day, Kaname?"

Kaname nodded glumly. "The countess was in tears," he recalled, the image of Hitomi Kiryu sobbing hysterically as she clutched her youngest son to her chest flashing through his mind.

"Yes," Haruka concurred sadly. "It was even worse for the Kiryus, however. Twins of hunter lineage are further cursed, the small amount of vampire blood flowing through their veins causing them to fight within the womb, often killing each other. It was a miracle both the Kiryu twins survived until birth! Although, it would seem that the elder twin had absorbed much of the younger twin's life force, resulting in a very sickly child. Even so, Hitomi was just relieved both her sons were alive…" The elder Kuran trailed off, his dark eyes glazing over as he began to reminisce. There were times when the absence of his old friends stung deeply, such as now. News of the Kiryus' bloody murder (by a vampire, no less!) had hit him rather hard. They had been truly wonderful people, despite being hunters. Unlike most in their society, they actually fully supported the Kurans' desire for pacifism and worked just as hard as it as they did. Their tragic demise had certainly put a dent in the pacifist movement. For that very reason, Haruka had organized quite a hunt for their murderer, but to no avail. Whoever had killed the earl and countess was very clever and before long, the trail had gone cold. That didn't dissuade their young son, however. The heir to the Kiryu title and the king had fought much over the pureblood's decision to disband the investigation. The young man continued the search on his own for his parents' assassin to that very day.

For a moment or two, the young prince left his father to his memories for he, too, was lost in thought. He was actually recalling the night Zero had informed him, in the most offhanded way possible, that he had a twin and was determined to find him. That was long before anything had occurred between the two of them, the boy having been no more no more than thirteen and already so driven, his heart already hardened by the cruelty of the world so that whatever childish innocence he might have had was lost. He had searched for so long and so hard to find the little brother he only recently discovered he had, yet the young earl found the trail had long since grown cold. No hide nor hair of his long-lost twin could be found, something which his parents had undoubtedly intended. It was upon recollecting this that a sudden question struck Kaname. Gazing curiously at Haruka, the younger brunette inquired, "How did you know Zero's twin would be serving in the Hio household, Father?"

Haruka blinked as he was pulled from his reverie, staring in slight confusion at his son. As soon as what Kaname had said sunk in, the older man laughed a bit. "Surprisingly enough, Rido told me," he admitted.

Kaname was stunned. "Uncle told you? Really?" It seemed highly out of character for his father's elder brother to be so accommodating.

"I don't believe he realized what he was telling me," Haruka explained, his shoulder shaking slightly with silent laughter. "He merely mentioned seeing a servant boy who looked remarkably like Kiryu while visiting Lady Hio. Of course, I immediately realized what this could possibly mean and requested that Kiryu visit the Hio estate as soon as possible."

It was at this moment that Kaname remembered he was angry at his father for this very reason. He contorted his face once more into a furious scowl. "You still had no right to help him," he bit out before turning on his heel and storming out of the king's study.

As he watched his eldest child march away from him in a most childlike fashion, Haruka sighed and shook his head before returning to his desk to resume what he had been doing previous to being so rudely interrupted. Kaname was merely throwing a tantrum. There were no grounds for him to be this upset with his father for assisting the earl on his quest. The prince was simply troubled over the prospect of losing his favourite plaything. He saw Zero's twin as a threat to his relationship with the nobleman, a relationship in which he was starting to put much more stock in than his partner. Quite frankly, Haruka was sort of relieved that the young hunter had something else with which to occupy himself. While he like the aristocrat for his spunk and intelligence, the king couldn't help but resent his promiscuous behaviour as it presented the opportunity that both Kaname and his younger sister, Yuki, would be hurt. He sincerely hoped that this boy at Hio Manor, this Ichiru, could convince Zero to settle down and remain faithful for once, or else more people would end up hurt as well.

* * *

Having lost many hours of sleep the previous day due to obsessively thinking about Earl Kiryu, Ichiru naturally slept a little later than was usually acceptable. It had been dipping into late afternoon by the time he had managed to drift off, allowing for only about three hours of sleep, if not less. Thus, it fell to his best friend to rouse him when he didn't wake at the normal time.

"Ichiru!" Maria's voice suddenly rang clearly into the human's room, startling him into wakefulness. "Naomi says if you don't get up at this very minute, you'll have morning and evening kitchen duty for an entire week!"

Groaning in exhaustion, Ichiru snuggled further into his blankets, unwilling to rouse himself from bed. "Tell 'er I'm up," he called back to his friend. "I'll be there inna few minutes."

Maria assured him she would do just that and Ichiru heard the girl scrabble off to deliver his message to the head maid. He let a few more groggy moments slip by before rolling over onto his back and pushing himself up on his elbows, shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear it. Then, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and, sitting hunched over, ran his fingers miserably through his silver hair. Despite his resolve of the previous night not to fall for the earl, however unlikely that chance of that happening was in any case, he still dreaded having to spend all day with Kiryu. What if he tried to kiss him again? Or something even worse? He may have gotten away with slapping the hunter last night, but he highly doubted that would be allowed a second time. No, he'd have to figure out a different way to deal with the earl. Deciding to come with a plan while he dressed, Ichiru lifted himself from his bed and made his way to the small shabby wardrobe facing the foot of his bed. He pulled open the uneven doors and removed his suit, tossing it unceremoniously onto the mattress before proceeding to take off his bed clothes. Within a few minutes, he was dressed and emerging into the common area, hardly surprised to find it almost completely empty.

"There ya are, boy!" snapped Naomi as she spotted the human from her place in the kitchen. "You're gonna be in a whole lot of trouble for sleepin' so late! No, you don't have time for breakfast!" She slapped Ichiru's hand away as he reached for one of the rolls left over from the morning meal, making the boy wince involuntarily.

"But Naomi…" moaned Ichiru, giving the woman the most injured, pleading look he could muster. He was starving, having skipped supper the night before. Surely the maid could allow him a bit of bread.

"No buts!" scolded the matriarch, waggling her finger warningly at the servant boy. "It's your own damned fault for sleeping in! Now get! You have a earl to be attendin' to!" She shoved the young human in the back, telling him to get a move on.

Muttering distempered under his breath about how he was being starved to death, Ichiru shot Naomi a murderous glare before stalking up the stairs and out of the servants' quarters. He clutched at his grumbling stomach as he strode through the corridors towards Earl Kiryu's suite and sighed. He was so hungry… Maybe he could chance stealing a scone off of the nobleman's tea tray later. That would be nice.

"Human!" Ichiru snapped roughly out of his contemplation of his empty stomach and his plot to steal pastries to see Rin storming towards him, his sallow face contorted into an extremely displeased scowl. For a few moments, the younger servant was at a loss for why the steward was angry with him. He had only woken up a few minutes ago. He couldn't possibly have done anything wrong yet! All of sudden, a sickening thought struck him and all the colour drained involuntarily from Ichiru's face. Could word of the kiss and the fact he had slapped Lord Kiryu already gotten out? Then, Rin so graciously reminded him what was wrong with him. "Where is your mask?! Lady Shizuka ordered her to wear it for the entire duration of Lord Zero's stay! How dare you deliberately disobey her! You little--" The senior steward raised his hand to strike his junior, Ichiru closing his eyes tightly and flinching on instinct. He waited for the blow to land but it never did.

Daring a peek, he cracked one of his eyes open a smidge and saw a hand encircling one of Rin's bony wrist, effectively preventing him from hitting Ichiru. Opening his eyes further, the young man saw Earl Kiryu standing behind the steward, a triumphant smirk on his face as he regarded the vampire servant. He blinked in surprise. That was convenient timing for the aristocrat to show up to his rescue. However, where on earth had he come from?!

Rin seemed just as shocked by the earl's sudden appearance as Ichiru was. "L-Lord Zero!' he stammered. "What are ya--"

"I would prefer that do not hit my attendant, Rin," Kiryu proclaimed coldly. "Especially since it is my fault he's not wearing his mask." He released the vampire steward's wrist roughly.

Rubbing his wrist, Rin's jaw fell open momentarily at this confession from the newly arrived earl. He soon regained his composure, however, setting himself into a more rigid posture. Clearing his throat, the vampire inquired in that snippily polite way of his, "What do you mean by that, milord?"

With a knowing sneer, Kiryu drew level with Ichiru and stroked his face with an air of possessive tenderness that sent a chill down the servant's spine. "I destroyed that silly mask of his," he informed the steward now standing behind him, giving his double a playful wink. "It's a crying shame to cover up such a pretty face, don't you agree?" He turned back to Rin, Ichiru's face still cupped in one of his hands. The whole display caused Ichiru to flush and turn his head away, deeply embarrassed the earl was acting this way around him.

Appearing distinctly taken aback at this display, the steward mouthed indignantly as his yellowed flesh turned red with anger. "If you do pardon me, milord," he sniffed, trying with all his might to keep himself under control and not snap at the impudent noble before him, "but that is inexcusable. The lady herself ordered for the human to wear that mask. It was not your place to decide otherwise."

"Too bad," retorted the hunter, taking a step closer to Ichiru and snaking an arm around his waist, pulling him against him. "I already did." He ignored the servant boy's attempts to shove them apart.

Now vividly steaming mad, Rin mutter in a keenly distempered growl, "Lady Shizuka shall be hearing of this." He then marched off huffily past the earl and the servant.

Smirking triumphantly at a job well done, Kiryu turned to Ichiru, who glared viciously back. The servant boy shoved the earl harshly away from him, causing his alter ego to stumble a bit. Retracting his arms, he curled his hands into fists at his side, as though preparing for a fight.

"What's the big idea?!" he shouted in an insulted tone. "I didn' ask for your help, an' I really didn' need ya actin' like I was your… your… lover or consort or somethin' in front o' Rin! Or at all!" He flushed at these words, gritting his teeth together as he continued to glower at the earl

Kiryu's smirk vanished as he blinked, feigning confusion. "Lover?" he repeated questioningly, folding his arms and stroking his chin pensively. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh, c'mon!" cried Ichiru exasperatedly. "The way ya were just touchin' me! Not t' mention all those thin's ya said! That en't how someone acts with their servants!" _At least, not in public._

The earl's sneer suddenly reappeared. "Well, if that's the way you're going to play, you're not behaving in a manner very befitting to your station either now, are you? To speak to a superior so frankly…"

Ichiru opened his mouth to retort, but found himself being spun around and pinned to the nearest wall by his doppelgänger faster than he could think, his wrists firmly trapped in the nobleman's grip. A predatory hunger flickering in his pallid eyes, Kiryu pressed himself closer to the servant, their identical faces mere centimeters apart. "However, I find that quite a turn on. Perhaps you were suggesting you want to become my lover…?" he murmured heatedly as his eyes fluttered half-closed, his warm breath brushing past the other adolescent's slightly parted lips.

"Never," growled Ichiru quietly, gritting his teeth against his racing heart and the butterflies flickering around in his gut. He desperately tried to ignore the blood pounding relentlessly in his ears at Kiryu's nearness. He had no idea why he was reacting to the other man in such a manner, being completely unused to this sort of situation. _Get a hold of yourself, Ichiru_, he scolded himself sharply. _Remember what you decided last night…_ Squeezing his eyes shut, Ichiru flushed deeper as he tried to strengthen his resolution.

For a moment, the aristocrat just sneered in satisfaction as he felt the other young man squirm beneath him. He could also feel the quickening of Ichiru's heart rate and see the colouring of the servant's cheeks. Such a delicious red tint, the blood rushing so close to the surface… Clearing the sudden crimson haze quickly from his mind, Kiryu pulled away from Ichiru and seized his hand, almost childishly. "Come," he said, tugging the servant's hand. "I have tea waiting for us in the garden."

His eyes snapping open, Ichiru looked over to the hunter in surprise. "For _us_?" he repeated as Kiryu began tugging him along down the corridor.

The earl nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course, he stated as though Ichiru should have expected this. "Who else would I have accompanying me for tea? Shizuka?"

"Well, yeah," Ichiru admitted, still slightly stunned. Anyone in their right mind would expect a noble to dine with another noble. It was highly unusual, not to mention unseemly, for one to fraternize so freely with a servant. Or anyone of a lower class, in all honesty. Most especially in such a public manner. "Milord, ya should know how wrong this is. Lord Kiryu? Lord Kiryu!"

* * *

Rin was true to his word. Directly after leaving Ichiru and the earl, he proceeded straight to his mistress' rooms, breaking out into a run as he neared them so desperate was he to inform the duchess of what he had witnessed. He did not know what the lady vampire had been planning, but it had clearly fallen apart. Finally, the manservant reached the entrance to Lady Shizuka's suite and burst through the doors. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he panted urgently, "He knows, milady! Earl Kiryu knows who Ichiru is!"

"Calm down, Rin. We already know about everything. Don't we, my dear?"

The frantic steward froze at these words, an involuntary chill running down his spine as his lungs seized. That was not the fluting voice of his mistress, but rather a deep, oily growl with dark undertones that made one's skin crawl. Taking the chance to actually look and observe the room he had barged into, Rin's beady eyes widened in surprise when he saw a tall, imposing man sitting on the lounge in the centre of the room that the lady usually occupied. Shizuka herself was kneeling at his feet, her head in his lap as he stroked her flaxen hair. The man leered at the recently arrived servant, his heterochromatic eyes, one crimson and one blue, narrowed deviously. It was such a look that Rin nearly began trembling where he stood, but managed to control himself, knowing that fear was a weakness he could not afford in the presence of this man.

"L-Lord Rido!" he stammered, his voice a tad higher-pitched than normal. He bowed quickly, deeply, as he closed the doors to the room behind him before adding, "I did not expect you to grace us with your presence today, milord."

Prince Rido Kuran smirked even more, amused by the servant's fudged enamouring comment. "Oh, come now, Rin," he simpered. "It's not so unusual for me to show up unannounced now, is it?" he picked up a lock of Shizuka's hair and began playing with it idly.

Scowling inwardly, Rin answered, "No, milord." The elder brother of the king appeared at the manor more often than anyone realized, sneaking in without warning and disappearing again before dawn, it was during this time that he tormented his fiancée, punishing Shizuka for a past transgression she had made against him. Personally, the steward could not blame the woman for having an affair. To be engaged to such a sadistic monster as Rido Kuran…? He could only imagine.

"As for the little earl and that human boy, as I have said we already knew about them." Rido dropped the piece of Shizuka's hair he had been fiddling with and resumed caressing the woman's head, sneering suggestively at her. "My sweet here saw the two of them lock lips yesterday in the garden. Did you not, darling?" Shizuka did not answer, but instead merely turned her lovely beaten face away from her butler, burying it in her fiancé's lap. The man lording over her intensified his malicious smirk before turning back to the servant standing in front of him. "Besides, I was the one who dropped the hint to my fool of a little brother. I wanted those two boys to meet."

Rin was slightly bowled over by this information. Lord Rido… wanted the earl to meet his twin? That was forbidden! Lady Shizuka herself had expressly told him that the two young men must never, under any circumstances, meet. That was the reason for the boy's mask. The consequences were that to happen would be disastrous. What on earth was this man planning? Did he not know of the legends, of the curse? No, surely Lord Rido must know. Then, what…? The only comfort the steward could take in was that Ichiru was clearly still blissfully oblivious to who Kiryu was to him, as well as who he himself truly was. As long as the human remained ignorant, all was well. Or rather, as well as one could hope.

Suddenly, Rido burst out laughing and for a moment, Rin was stunned, unable to understand what was so funny. Then, the pureblood male let him in on the joke. "I never expected that child hunter to kiss the boy, though!" the prince exclaimed, amusement obvious in his voice. "I had heard that Kiryu's son was a bit… loose, but I never expected him to be randy enough to go after his own brother!"

While the man before continued to laugh hysterically, Rin had to fight the impulse to shake his head disdainfully. He, for one, did not find the situation very funny at all nor could he see why Rido did. Incest occurred quite frequently in vampire society, as well as homosexuality (vampires, being a pleasure-seeking race, weren't particularly picky about whom they bedded). Perhaps it was because the boys were of hunter descent? Vampire hunters were notorious for adhering to strict moral policies and were deeply religious, generally being considered 'prudes' by vampires.

Finally regaining control of himself, Rido sighed and fixed his gaze back on the butler. "Is there any other bits of useless warning you need to impart on us?" he inquired condescendingly of Rin, his evil grin returning.

The manservant hesitated, realizing that the pureblood royal was implying it was time for him to take his leave. He was reluctant to leave his mistress alone with this abusive fiend, but he could not think of a reason for him to stay. Bowing once more, he muttered, "No, milord. I shall take my leave now." With on last apologetic glance at the lady of the house, he exited the room.

Rido let his eyes close, listening with relish as the door to his betrothed's suite clicked shut. Finally, they were all alone. Directing his attention back to the woman in his lap, he sneered. "I have not yet finished with you, my love…"

* * *

Halting suddenly as he brought his teacup to his lips, Earl Kiryu snapped his sharp gaze to a balcony situated over the garden, set high in the ivy-covered grey walls. A pair of French doors with chiffon curtains led the way into the room beyond. He narrowed his eyes forebodingly, his usually pale irises darkening. There it was again. That scent that had woken him that morning just before sunset, a scent so sickeningly sweet and intoxicating it was almost akin to poison. He would not forget it.

Ichiru, who was busying himself with buttering half of a poppyseed muffin, glanced up when he noticed he no longer felt the nobleman's piercing eyes on him. Noticing the other man's fixated stare, he tilted his head to the side in a curious manner and asked, "What is it?"

The earl did not answer right away. He merely continued to stare at the French doors of the overhead balcony with a look that suggested he was concentrating rather hard on something very unpleasant. "There's a scent of blood on the air," he finally mumbled, more to himself than anyone else, and for a moment, Ichiru could have sworn he saw the noble's eyes flash red.

"Blood? Really?" Ichiru took a whiff of the air around him, but could only smell the tea and pastries. Of course, he wasn't really expecting to smell anything. Humans weren't sensitive enough to scent blood unless it was in large amounts and fairly close to them. He had learned this lesson many times when he had cut himself while working and everyone in the vicinity had noticed before he had.

Seeming as though he was coming back to himself, the aristocrat bowed his head and shook it before taking a sip of his tea. "Never mind," he murmured. "It doesn't matter."

"It does _so_ matter!" insisted Ichiru, his eyes growing wide. "What if someone's hurt? We should go see--" Standing up abruptly, Ichiru managed to upset a teacup, sending it crashing to the ground where it smashed into dozens of sharp little pieces. Glancing down at the china shards, he felt his face colour.

"Idiot!" Kiryu, too, leapt up from the table, only he had the presence of mind to scoot his chair out first. He initially glared at the broken cup before focusing on Ichiru, who was standing as though dumbstruck with his eyes still on the fragments. "Well, what are you waiting for? Clean it up! You're just a _servant_, after all, are you not?" He put much contempt on the word 'servant' as he narrowed his eyes at the boy of lower station standing across from him. His attendant had put up a grand fuss about the differences between social classes and proper conduct all the way to the garden, something which had grown quite annoying. Well, if Ichiru insisted that he be treated like a servant, then that was just what he would get.

Swallowing hard, Ichiru let his gaze flit to the distempered noble for a moment before muttering, "Yeah, milord." He then got down on his knees and began retrieving the little bits of shattered teacup that littered the flagstone, placing them one by one into his hand. His face was still flushed with embarrassment, a feeling that wasn't helped by the earl standing haughtily over him as he watched the servant boy clean up the mess he had made.

"You do realize you live in a household of vampires, don't you?" the hunter asked snappishly. "If anyone was hurt, they'd heal in no time, as if it were nothing. Those demons aren't nearly as fragile as you or that teacup you destroyed. In fact, they could shatter you just like that cup."

Freezing as he picked up a larger piece of china, Ichiru glanced up at the earl. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly, turning his attention back to his task. He _was_ an idiot. He knew that the healing abilities of a vampire far surpassed his own, but he couldn't help, but worry whenever one of the other servants injured themselves. Even they all laughed at him when he did this, before demonstrating that whatever scrape they received vanishing almost instantly. After picking up a few more pieces, he questioned softly, "What 'bout ya, Lord Kiryu? Are ya as breakable as me?"

Though he wasn't looking at the hunter, he could feel the other man smirk in an almost suggestive manner. "No, not nearly," he answered in a tone to match his smirk.

Ichiru turned his head to stare over his shoulder at the earl. Not really paying attention to what he was doing any more, he felt a sharp pain on his finger as he reached out for yet another shard. "Ow!" he cried, jerking his hand away from whatever had hurt him. Examining his finger, he saw that he had sliced it open on one of the fragments of teacup, a particularly sharp bit having blood on its edge as testimony to this. He instinctively went to put the injured, bleeding finger in his mouth when a hand suddenly reach out and prevented him from doing such.

"No!" barked Earl Kiryu, rather urgently. Then, kneeling down beside Ichiru, he repeated more gently, "No, let me take care of that." He brought the wounded digit to his mouth and began caressing it slowly with his tongue, as though relishing in the flavour of the other man's blood. There was no doubt about it this time. His eyes were blood red.

This only served to make Ichiru uncomfortable. The flush still on his face deepening, he managed to stammer, "M-milord?"

Kiryu paused, his tongue still wrapped slightly around the other boy's finger. He seemed to have just realized what he was doing. Pulling away fro Ichiru, he dropped his hand as if it were something disgusting and contorted his face into a scowl. His eyes were still red. "What, you're so incompetent that you can't even clean up a broken teacup without hurting yourself?" he bit out at Ichiru, who in all honesty had done nothing wrong. "Here, give me those before you injure yourself further." He held out his hand, indicating that the servant was to deposit the shards of china he had already collected into it. Grudgingly, Ichiru did so. Appearing satisfied, if not still ticked off, Kiryu then ordered the other young man to go get something to clean up the tea that had been in the cup.

As the servant left him, Kiryu sighed and gazed down at the fragments of broken teacup in his hand before dumping them onto the table. Then, he turned and glanced down onto the flagstone to where a bit of cream-coloured china with its sharp edge tinted crimson lay. Carefully, he bent down and picked it up, bringing it to his nose to breath in its decadent scent, washing away all traces of the poisonous fumes from earlier. Ichiru's blood smelled as sweet as it tasted, though somehow the earl knew it would. The boy seemed to enjoy sweet things, judging by the amount of sugar he had piled into his tea. Normally, the hunter despised sweet things, but perhaps for Ichiru, he could make an exception. All of the sudden, Kiryu growled at himself, disgusted with the way he was starting to think exactly like one of those demons he hated. Nonetheless, he slid the piece of china stained with Ichiru's blood into his pocket.

* * *

Ichiru was torn between discomfort and offence as he searched for the nearest broom closet. The earl's abrupt changes in mood were beginning to annoy and the young man didn't know how much longer he'd be able to put up with it. It was as if the aristocrat couldn't decide if he wanted to be conniving or irritable or seductive or what. Or perhaps he just didn't know how he should act towards him… Ichiru quickly shook that thought out of his head. Obviously, the nobleman's self-centeredness was rubbing off. Never had the human thought of himself so much.

Grumbling about how he couldn't wait until the damned hunter left and things went back to normal, Ichiru retrieved a rag from the broom closet he had been perusing and stepped back into the corridor. Upon closing the closet door, he was startled to see that Rin was standing on the other side. He nearly jumped out of his skin and emitted a rather unmanly squeak. "Rin!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "Don' _do_ that! Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The steward ignored this comment and said sternly, "Lady Shizuka has requested your presence in her room."

Ichiru blinked. This was the second time in a week that the lady vampire had called him to her. Normally, there were weeks between the times he saw her. Again, it wasn't as though he wasn't pleased to see this mistress this often. There was simply something… odd and foreboding about it. Nodding, the younger house worker followed his senior once more to the woman's rooms. Once again, Rin did not accompany into the suite, but only bowed him through the doors.

Lady Shizuka was not in her sitting room, as she usually was, and for a moment, Ichiru was confused. His befuddlement only lasted a couple of seconds, though, as a fluting voice drifted to him from another room.

"Come, Ichiru. I am in my bedroom."

Her bedroom? Ichiru's eyes widened. He was to go into the lady's bedroom? Swallowing nervously, the young man hesitated. He had never gone into a woman's bedroom before, not even Maria's as the servants' sleeping quarters were segregated by gender and out of courtesy, the men never stepped foot in the women's area even though they often came into theirs.

"Are you coming, Ichiru?"

"Yeah, milady!" Clearly, Lady Shizuka saw nothing wrong with having a man in her bedroom, even if he was only a servant. Taking a deep calming breath, Ichiru strode warily in to his mistress' bedroom.

The pureblood woman was sitting at her vanity in nothing but her undergarments, doing up her long blonde hair as she gazed in her large mirror. Ichiru was hard put to force down a blush. The duchess was stunning. He had no idea why she would ever need make-up, observing the many jars and creams on her vanity tabletop. "Lady Shizuka…" he began, about to point that fact out when the lady herself spoke.

"Earl Kiryu seems to be quite taken with you," she said quietly, letting her fair hair fall before reaching for a brush.

Blinking, Ichiru stared on, slightly taken aback. What did that have to do with anything? "Um… well, I wouldn' say that…"

Her pale eyes flickering over to the young human's reflection in her mirror, Shizuka scoffed, "Don't be modest, Ichiru! To capture the attention of an aristocrat is quite a feat for one of your station…"

_ Not really considering Earl Kiryu's reputation_, thought Ichiru sardonically. He had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes.

"However, what I really want to know is your impressions of him." The pureblood woman spun around gracefully on her backless cushioned seat and peered critically at the human in front of her. "Go on. You may speak freely."

Inhaling deeply to steady himself, Ichiru confessed, "I really don'… think that much o' 'im, milady. He's just as the rumours say: a vile, perverted noble with a bad temper."

For some reason, Shizuka seemed greatly amused by Ichiru's answer. She smiled quietly and even laughed a bit, a rare but beautiful thing. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that, Ichiru," she murmured, leaning back against her vanity. She truly was, of course. As long as the earl's affections remained one-sided, her fiancé's plans would be useless. He wouldn't be able to hurt Ichiru and she would be able to continue with her own designs.

Ichiru shuffled nervously for one foot to the other. "If ya pardon me askin', milady," he said, somewhat anxiously, "but what do my feelin's towards Earl Kiryu have t' do with anythin'?"

Still smiling lightly, Shizuka idly combed her fingers through her hair as she continued to look the servant boy over. "Oh, nothing," she answered, trying to sound nonchalant when inside she was flooding with relief. "However, I will warn you not to fall for the earl. Nothing good can come of an attachment to him."

"Thank ya for your concern, milady, but I don' think that's ever gonna happen." As he said this, Ichiru couldn't help but notice it sounded as if the lady pureblood's warning had come from some sort of personal experience. It was almost as if she had suggested she had met the nobleman before and had grown attached to him. However, that couldn't be possible. Could it?

"I'm glad to hear that, Ichiru," she murmured, highly doubting the young man's words. No matter how much will power one possessed, it was almost impossible not to fall for whatever the hunter held in his eyes. Everyone he captivated fell into his web for different reasons, but they fell nonetheless. No, Ichiru would fall for the earl. It was only a matter of time. "One more thing, though, my dear: what exactly do you know about the earl?"

This question caught Ichiru off guard more than any other. "What d'ya mean, milady?" he questioned, his brow furrowed.

Turning her focus from the human boy to her perfectly polished fingernails, Shizuka said in a casual tone, "Oh, you know: things about his life, his family, his relationships…"

"Milady, I think ya got it all wrong," Ichiru blurted out before he could stop himself. Immediately recognizing his blunder, he clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head, mumbling his apologies.

Shizuka was nearly as forgiving as Earl Kiryu when it came to servants and free speech, however, she was a tad more specific about who had the freedom to do so. She had always treasured this boy's frankness when it came to her, a trait she had recognized upon first meeting the boy. It was very refreshing, something which the aristocratic hunter had no doubt discovered. "What is it I'm wrong about, Ichiru?" she inquired, almost mischievously. When the young man faltered, she prodded further. "Go on. Tell me."

Biting his lip, Ichiru felt his cheeks grow warm as he tried to explain slowly, "Ya… seem t' think me an' the earl… have some sorta relationship, milady. That's… not it, though. I don' know anythin' about 'im other than what I've heard."

For the second time whilst speaking with Ichiru, Shizuka felt a sweet wave of reprieve wash through her being. So Kiryu had decided to keep him ignorant, had he? Whether it was some sort of twisted game the earl was playing or some genuine form of caring, it did not matter as long as Ichiru stayed safe. Humans were such delicate things, just like that man… Besides, this also meant she could continue to play the dangerous game her fiancé had enacted on her terms. "Thank you, Ichiru," she whispered. "That was all I need to hear. You may leave."

Feeling more confused than ever, Ichiru bowed and exited his mistress' room.

* * *

"There you are, Ichiru!"

Wincing despite himself, Ichiru turned to see Earl Kiryu coming towards him up the corridor. Obviously, the nobleman had come looking for him when he had not returned. Fantastic. He was going to get it now. Gritting his teeth slightly, the young man set himself a bit more rigidly in preparation for the scolding he would undoubtedly receive.

Stopping when he was a few paces from his attendant, the earl crossed his arms and glared at Ichiru. "Where the hell did you go?" he demanded, sound immensely displeased. "I had to get some other servant to clean the mess you made!"

"Sorry, milord, but Lady Shizuka called for me," Ichiru informed the aristocrat, making a conscious effort to keep his voice monotonous. Emotions were obviously not the best way to deal with this man. Now that he thought of it, he should have just been callous from the very beginning. "It wasn' as if I could say no to 'er."

Kiryu's frown deepened at this. Why had the lady needed to see this boy? From what he had collected, Ichiru was a rather lowly servant here at Hio Manor. What interest could she possibly have in him? Unless… "What did that demoness want with you, Ichiru?" he inquired darkly.

Ichiru shrugged, wondering what on earth it mattered to the nobleman what his mistress wanted with him. "Nothin' really," he lied. Then, before he could fully understand what was happening, he found himself pinned to the wall yet again. The earl plainly enjoyed this position, but in all honesty, it was getting a bit old. The servant didn't struggle this time, though. From what he had gather to the last similar encounter, Kiryu enjoyed that. He would not be so accommodating this time. Still, he could not control his body's reaction and his blood was pounding in his ears once more. He really did not like being trapped.

"Do not lie to me," growled the earl threateningly, his eyes appearing predatory again but in a different sense than before. "I need to know exactly what that she-witch spoke with you about."

"An' why would that be?" Ichiru asked stubbornly, looking the aristocrat directly in the eye in a unaffected way he knew would infuriate.

Tightening his grip painfully on the servant's wrists, Kiryu snarled, "That's really none of your business now, is it? Now, tell me what she said!" He hated the way Ichiru wasn't reacting to him. Why wasn't he terrified? Or shocked? At this moment, a devious thought flickered in the earl's mind. It was a thought that shouldn't have pleased him, but he knew it was one that would certainly elicit a reaction from the boy. His scowl shifted to a smirk and he murmured, "Or perhaps there was no talking at all. Perhaps you're that woman's little plaything, hm? You certainly are attractive enough…"

The hunter had been right. This comment broke straight through Ichiru's uncaring façade and his expression registered shock as well as a bit of disgust. Had this man just insinuated that he and Lady Shizuka were sleeping together? Not ever in his most illicit imaginings had the young man thought of ever doing that with his mistress! Even kissing was something he saw as going too far! "N-no!" he stammered frantically. "'Course not! That… that would be…"

"Most improper?" Kiryu finished for the servant, his smirk becoming more suggestive. Then, he bent in closer to Ichiru and kissed him, instantly causing the other man to squirm in protest. No! Not this again! Only this time, his hands weren't even free to fight back and the nobleman was strong. A sudden, unfamiliar sensation caused a jolt of unpleasant electricity to jump down the servant's spine. It was the warm, moist feeling of the earl trying to force his tongue between Ichiru's lips.

"Nnnh! Nngh…!" The weaker man's muffled protests went completely ignored and soon, Kiryu got what he wanted, his tongue filling Ichiru's mouth. Fighting down a fresh wave of repulsion and the desire to vomit, the servant bit down, hard, on the aristocrat's tongue. Thankfully, this obtained the preferred response and the hunter noble leapt back, appearing stunned the house worker had done such a thing. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Ichiru glowered daggers at Kiryu before panting heavily through gritted teeth, "Don't you _ever_ do that again!"

For a moment or two, the pair of young men seemed to have reached an impasse, neither moving as they stared at each other and neither speaking. It seemed as though they could have stood there forever, still as statues, when Maria rushed in and broke the heavy stalemate.

"Thank God, I found you, Ichiru!" the tiny girl cried, running up to her dear friend and gripping his sleeve. "Kenta's been asking for you! We need to go to the kitchens immediately!"

Blinking at his friend's sudden appearance, Ichiru asked slowly, "Alright…. Why?"

Maria took a deep breath and explained very quickly, "Well, you see, a very important guest has suddenly decided to visit and Lady Shizuka has ordered a giant feast in his honour! Everyone needs to pitch in to be ready in time!"

"Not Ichiru," the earl interjected, making the small maid acknowledge him for the first time.

Appearing nervous, as though she feared upsetting the nobleman again, Maria bowed respectfully and said, "My apologies, milord, but even Ichiru has to help. It's the lady's orders."

"It was on her orders that he wear that mask of his, too, but he's no longer doing that now, is he?"

The vampire girl glanced up at the earl, confused at his statement. Then, turning her gaze to the young man beside her, she noticed that he was indeed not wearing that infamous mask the pureblood duchess had given him. "Ichiru? Where's your—"

"I'll explain later. Let's just get t' the kitchen 'fore Kenta sends Naomi after us."

Nodding, still a bit bewildered, Maria began leading the way to the kitchens where a large majority of servants had now gathered to prepared for the very important person due to arrive that evening. Before he left, however, Ichiru made sure the aristocrat received one more scathing look from him, just to make sure he was reminded of his warning.

* * *

When the two servants left him, Kiryu brought two of his fingers to his tongue. Ichiru had bitten hard enough to draw blood, but the wounds had healed almost as quickly as they had been formed. Damn. He must remember to push that boy too far again. His reactions were so… No, he mustn't think of that. If he did, he would never be able to stop.

Instead, the hunter turned his thoughts to other matters, such as the identity of this mysterious guest that was so eminent as to deserve the entire staff of Hio Manor being put hard to work in order to please him. Someone from the royal family, perhaps? At this, the earl scowled at the realization it would most likely be Rido, then. Oh, how that man disturbed him. Maybe he could feign some sort of illness in order to get out of dinner this evening? Or he could just outright refused to go. Then again, if he went to dinner, there was always the possibility that he would see Ichiru for what would most likely be the last time that day. Yes, it all came back to that boy.

Resigning himself to just endure supping with two despicable purebloods, Kiryu made the journey back to his rooms to wash up.

* * *

"So then he just remove your mask…"

"That's right."

"…And kissed you?"

"Yeah."

Having made it to the very busy kitchen, Ichiru had just explained the whole deal with the mask to Maria, who stared at him with wide-eyed amazement. The two were silent for a while, polishing the silverware in preparation for the night's feast. The boy had his head bowed now, a flush having found his way into his cheeks. It had been embarrassing to tell his friend that not only had he gotten his first kiss, but it had been with a man. He failed to disclose the rather forced kiss he and the earl had shared so recently, the disgust too real to cope with at the moment. He was sure that if he did, the dear girl would think him even more revolting than she expectedly already did

Maria, however, was not appalled by the fact the human's first kiss had been with a man. Again, the vampire view of homosexuality was much more accepting than that of a human, but the girl did feel sympathetic towards her friend's distress. It must be horrible, to have one's first kiss taken away from one in such a manner and by someone one didn't even like. There was another emotion swirling around inside the petite vampire girl, however: jealousy. It had been one of her most secret desires that she would be the one to get Ichiru's first kiss. Of course, that dream was now completely shot. How dare the arrogant earl think he could just force himself on her best friend like that! Did he not eve considered the boy's feelings about the matter?

"Oh, Ichiru!" she piped up quietly after a few minutes, her voice dripping with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. I know one's first kiss is supposed to be special…"

"Don'," bit out Ichiru, suddenly a bit grumpy. "I don' want t' talk 'bout it any more. You know what happened, so now just drop it."

A bit stunned, if not understanding, by her companion's abrupt snappiness, Maria turned away from Ichiru and focused more completely on her task. After another moment, though, she spoke up again. "If you had gotten to chose, who would have you wanted your first kiss to be?" she inquired softly, her cheeks colouring.

Ichiru paused in his polishing and looked over to his comrade, a tad surprised by the question. "Um…" he began, flushing a little as well. "…I dunno. I've never really given it much thought…"

"Oh." When that was done, the two house workers sat once more in silence, each feeling too self-conscious to converse further. Luckily for them, this awkward atmosphere was broken by the head chef, who marched over to them soon after the uncomfortable conversation had ended.

"Are ye two still not finished?" he snapped, glaring impatient down at his young charges.

"No, sir!" Ichiru and Maria chorused instantly.

"We've just finished, sir," Maria informed the cook and Ichiru nodded in agreement, putting down the last bit of silver.

Appearing a bit skeptical, Kenta grumbled, "Alright. Then ye, boy! Go get a head start on them dishes. They're pillin' up like nobody's business!"

"Yessir!" Ichiru replied, giving a mock salute before scampering away, weaving his way as quickly as he could through the bustling mass of servants that were currently occupying the kitchen.

"And ye," he growled, turned his attention to Maria who squeaked. With a sigh, the burly man softened his expression and said, "I wish ye would just give up on that boy, already. He's not yours fer the takin'."

Maria stiffen at these words, biting her lips as tears began to swim in her pale orbs. She glanced over to where Ichiru was currently being scolded by another senior servant, having just nearly missed causing a giant disaster. Laughing lightly in spite of her tears, the little doll turned back to Kenta and declared firmly, "You don't know that. It could happen. He could love me."

Kenta shook his head, sighing sadly. Ah, the delusions of youth… "Just get yerself to the dinin' hall," he said gruffly. "All the other maids be settin' up there."

Nodding defiantly, Maria left the kitchens to join her fellow maids. What did Kenta know? There was always a possibility Ichiru could love her back, just as much as she loved him. It didn't matter that he was human or that they were servants of the same household. There was always a chance they could be together. Wasn't there?

* * *

The table was set, everything was flawlessly prepared, and the servants all held their breath as the surprise guest stepped into the dining room. It had been the long-held opinion that Rido Kuran was the most intimidating of all the purebloods still in existence, the baleful aura swirling around the man seemingly made of pure venom. To displease him was to call Death upon oneself. The natural response to his presence was to be fearful and reverential.

Of course, that was not the way Earl Zero Kiryu behaved towards the prince and as Ichiru watched the whole incident from the hallway that led from the kitchen to the dining hall with Maria, he began to seriously suspect the hunter knew neither fear nor how to respect his superiors.

The earl arrived fashionably late (of course), only showing up in the dining hall after the first course had already been served with his dress jacket thrown casually over his shoulder as though he hadn't thought the event important enough to actually put it on. The man seemed utterly unconcerned by the fact all eyes, nobles and servants alike, were now staring at him. Most were condemning him for his tardiness, while the guest of honour appeared to take amusement in it.

"Well, well," he chortled snidely. "It seems the earl has finally decided to join us. How are you faring, Lord Zero?"

Kiryu matched Rido's calculatingly mocking smirk with mordant sneer of his own. "Rido, you scum," he greeted, the insult sounding almost affable had it not been for the underlying tone of contempt. "So it's you everyone's going to pieces over. I'm surprised your brother let you out of your cage."

The pureblood male laughed whole-heartedly at this, a chilling sound that reverberated throughout the room. "That fool brother of mine could not cage me, even though he undoubtedly would like to," he assured the earl, that snakelike smirk still playing on his lips.

"Now, Rido, you know I can't sit by while you insult one of my dearest friends," the hunter countered, not making a move even resembling going to the king's defence. He merely stood there at the end of the long dark wood table, all his weight resting on his right leg while he had his hand in the opposite pocket. He continued smirking as though this was nothing more than a friendly banter, much as he had done with Lady Shizuka upon first arriving at Hio Manor. Ichiru began to wonder if this was how he behaved to all purebloods or rather just to people he obviously disliked.

"Is he trying to get himself killed?" whispered Maria harshly from her position underneath Ichiru.

Shrugging, the human boy replied,"I dunno. He was the same when with Lady Shizuka when he first got here and she didn't seem to mind either. It's almost like they think it's funny…"

"Hmph," Maria sniffed indignantly. "It's probably just a front. I bet on the inside he's shaking with fear."

"I wouldn'," murmured Ichiru. After this, the two servants feel silent once more and resumed watching as the proceedings unfolded.

"Why don't you sit down, Lord Zero?" suggested Rido, gesturing to the seat to his left. The prince had taken up Shizuka's usual seat at the head of the table, the lady herself sitting to his right. The pureblood woman was unusually subdued and had not said a word since the moment she entered the room. She didn't even attempt to join in with her fiancé as he taunted Kiryu, an activity all the servants of the household knew she would have enjoyed. However, it was also known that the company of her betrothed was the cause of this sudden change in behaviour. Rido just had that effect on people.

The earl cocked a silvery eyebrow. "Really, Rido? Sit at the same table as you? If I don't die from shame, maybe." Still, Kiryu took the seat the prince offered nonetheless. As though on cue, a serving was brought out to the nobleman. The servant who did so glared scoldingly at Ichiru and Maria as she passed them on her way from the kitchen to the dining hall and back again. Both adolescents stuck their tongues out childishly at her as she did this. As mentioned previously, eavesdropping was a horrible habit among house workers but neither Maria nor Ichiru believed this counted. The dining hall was a public area after all. The nobles were practically begging people to overhear them.

So, the night continued. Kiryu and Rido persisted to exchange derisive jabs at each other through out the meal, keeping the atmosphere light-hearted if not welcoming. However, as supper drew to a close, the air grew heavy due to the prince's seemingly offhanded comment, "So, how's that revenge scheme of yours coming? Not falling through the cracks is it, what with your little side quest and all?"

The earl's face, which had previously been set with a blasé smirk, now fell into a dangerous scowl. "What do you know of that?" he demanded darkly of the prince, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, come off it! It's not like no one knows," the vampire royal said, swirling the red wine around in his glass lazily. "These past few years, you have only been driven by two things. Revenge for the murder of your parents and the search for the one—"

"Shut up," growled Kiryu, gritting his teeth. "How do you even know about that?"

Rido blinked. "Oh, I have my ways," he murmured silkily, still fiddling idly with his wine glass.

"Well, tell your 'ways' to stay out of my personal business," the earl snapped. "I have nothing you want."

"Oh, don't be so modest!" said Rido with a laugh, reminding Ichiru uncomfortably of what Lady Shizuka had said to him earlier. "Of course, you have things I want! Your land, your wealth, your power…" The prince then leaned over and whispered something into Kiryu's ear, something that not even Maria could pick out with her vampire hearing. Whatever it was, though, must have been something very upsetting for Kiryu's face became contorted with rage.

Getting his feet abruptly, the aristocratic hunter slammed his palms furiously on the table, causing the dinnerware to clatter worryingly, and shouted, "Don't you dare touch him!" His lilac eyes blazed with angry fire as he glared daggers at the pureblood to his right.

His face registering great enjoyment at the reaction to whatever he said had provoked, Rido sat back in his chair and said, "Oh, we'll see about that."

"I swear to God, Rido, if you so much as come near him, I'll blast you into a billion tiny pieces," Kiryu vowed, his eyes fixed warningly on the vampire male. He then snapped his attention to Shizuka. "It's bad enough that she already has." These were the earl's only words of parting before gathering up his jacket, which he had tossed nonchalantly on the chair beside him, and storming out of the dining hall.

This irate exit was promptly followed by a boisterous round of laughter from Rido. "Aha! Barely a week and already he's so protective! Now that's what I call love! Wouldn't you agree, my dear?" The prince acknowledged his fiancée for the first time that evening, a predatory flame blazing dimly in his bi-coloured eyes. Shizuka said nothing. She bowed her head as she picked apathetically at the food before.

Back in the hallway, Ichiru and Maria exchanged bewildered glances. What was that all about? Before they even had the time to question each other, Kenta had burst on the scene as become his habit of doing, and barked, "Back in the kitchen, both of ye! Ye've got no right to be spyin'!"

Both of the younger servants practically leapt out of their skins before whipping around to face the cook.

"Yes, sir!" squeaked Maria, her posture becoming one that suggest she was in a military line-up.

"Aye, aye, sir!" said Ichiru, not actually trying to be funny but making Maria giggle beside him nevertheless.

Kenta, on the other hand, did not think the younger man's response funny at all. The large vampire grabbed for the front of the human's shirt and virtually threw him towards the galley doors. "Just get to cleanin' up that mess!" he ordered. "If ye don't finish quickly, ye won't be getting' any supper tonight either!"

Inspired by the prospect of again not getting his evening meal, Ichiru rushed into the kitchen to help the others with tidying up.

However, the young man was again, unlucky. Being human, he didn't possess the speed or efficiency that came with being a vampire, so even though he and the other scullions and scullery maids had divided the work equally, he had taken the longest to finish. The sun had already risen by the time he had gotten to the last bit of cleaning he needed to do. This meant he had once more missed dinner and he knew better than to expect leftovers. So there he was, scrubbing away in the now empty kitchen, mulling over the consequences of stealing food from the pantry and whether or not it was worth it. It was then he heard the galley doors swing open and he froze. Who would still be up at this hour? Glancing up, the boy expected it to be either Maria come to make sure he was all right or Rin barging in to scold him. Yet, it was neither of them.

It was Earl Kiryu.

Twisting his face into a scowl, Ichiru turned his face away from the aristocrat. "What d'ya want?" he snarled. Could this man not take a hint? He wasn't interested in being his newest consort!

"You were listening earlier, outside the dining room," the noble said coldly, completely disregarding the servant's question.

Ichiru wavered for a moment, his eyes growing wide. How on earth had Kiryu known he had been listening in to his conversation with Rido? He had left before Kenta had yelled at him and his friend for doing so, so that was out. Still, the discussion had happened in a public area, so it wasn't as if he had been eavesdropping. Or at least, that was what he told himself. It wasn't as if he exactly felt guilty abut spying on the earl, in any case. Yes, that was right. Ichiru had done nothing wrong. "So what if I was?" he asked snippily, resuming scrubbing the counter.

There was the sudden sensation of something gripping the back of his shirt and the hunter spun him around effortlessly, slamming him back against the counter and trapping him there, placing his hands on either side of him. "It'd be better if you dropped this nasty habit of yours, Ichiru," Kiryu snarled menacingly. "Otherwise, you might end up hearing things that were not meant for your ears."

"So there's a law against hearin' now, is there?" Ichiru spat back. "Wow, His Majesty must be gettin' real strict. 'Course, ya probably suggested it in the first place, seein' as the king is your 'dear friend' and all…"

"I'm not kidding around, Ichiru!" snapped the earl. "It's much safer for you if just keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong!"

"And why's that, hm?" demanded Ichiru, his temper rising with every passing second. "What, will I discover that there's some secret organization that's behind all the murders there've been lately and end up as the next victim?"

This comment, although clearly not meant seriously, threw Kiryu for a bit of a loop. He blinked a few times in a stunned manner before shaking himself out of it, reminding himself that Ichiru could not possibly know about the Mors Mortis Lilium. No civilian did. "Yes, something like that," he murmured, forcing a bitter laugh. "Just promise me you'll keep to yourself from now on."

"As long as ya keep t' yours," insisted Ichiru, crossing his arms defiantly. "Why d'ya care anyways?"

The nobleman took his time in answering. After what seemed a few moments' consideration, he replied, "Let's just say that now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you." He backed away from and Ichiru and the counter, turning to leave the kitchen.

There it was again. That statement about finding. Unlike last time, when it had only served to confuse him, it now made Ichiru angry. Something was being kept from him and he didn't like it. "What the bloody hell's that supposed t' mean?" he shouted at the retreating noble. "What am I t' ya anyways?!"

Pausing as he reached the galley doors, Kiryu looked back over his shoulder at the irritated servant boy with a suggestive smirk and purred, "Why, you're my soul mate, of course." With that, he disappeared.

Now, confusion was added to the anger swirling inside of Ichiru. Soul mate? How the hell was that decided upon?! The two of them had only known each other for about a week, and the earl hadn't demonstrated anything that could have been taken as a sign of love. Or even courting for that matter. Well, there was the kissing, but that had been forced on both accounts and was lustful rather than loving. This man was decidedly insane. Grumbling under his breath about a world gone mad, Ichiru resumed scrubbing the counter, intent on finishing his task

* * *

Naomi was the only one still awake when Ichiru returned to the servants' quarters, having been waiting up specifically for the human. Maria had informed her in confidence of the way Kiryu was practically forcing himself upon the boy and she had grown very concerned for his well-being. If she had known the earl would have been attracted to Ichiru this strongly, she would have never suggested he be the man's attendant during his stay. She was already formulating plans in order to get the servant out of his duties regarding the earl.

The head maid broke out of her reverie when she heard footsteps cantering down the staircase into the common area, Ichiru appearing in the doorway. The poor boy looked exhausted and there was some colour in his face, but whether from anger or shame, Naomi couldn't tell. Fearing the worst, she leapt to her feet (she had been sitting at one of the large tables in the room) and cried, "What the hell did that man do you this time?"

Starting slightly, having not noticed the other house worker's presence, Ichiru swung around to face the vampire maid, his pale eyes wide. "What on earth—Naomi!" he exclaimed. "Ya scared me half t' death! An' what are ya even talkin' 'bout?"

"That earl," the woman elaborated. "What has the bastard done to ya now?"

"N-nothin'!" Ichiru stammered, taken aback. "Why would he do anythin' t' me?"

Groaning in frustration, Naomi rolled her eyes and said, "Don't lie to me, boy! Maria told me all about your little tryst in the garden!"

Ichiru flushed, the colour already in his face increasing dramatically. Maria told Naomi about that? How could she?! It was supposed to be a secret! "I'm gonna kill her," he growled, bowing his head and glaring intently down the female sleeping quarters' corridor.

"Now, Ichiru, don't do that," sighed the vampire, touching her fingertips to her forehead in slight exasperation. "I'm glad she told me. Look, didn't I tell you to come to me or Kenta if you had any troubles with Kiryu?"

"I'm handlin' it," insisted Ichiru. "I don' need help."

Naomi stared at the human boy in amazement. Yes, she knew Ichiru had a stubborn streak and could be a bit of an idiot (of course, he was an adolescent male and thus, there was really no help for that), but she couldn't believe he was this dim. "Ichiru, this ain't like you're fightin' with another one of us here," she tried to make him understand. "This is Earl Zero Kiryu you're dealin' with, the noble with the worst reputation outside of Prince Rido Kuran and Marquis Asato Ichijo. Ya can't do this on your own."

"I can an' I am," Ichiru said, refusing to budge in his position. He was grateful to Naomi and Kenta for offering their assistance in what ever troubled him, but he felt like he needed to take care of himself for once. He crossed his arm to reaffirm this obstinacy.

For a moment or two, the two servants stared each other down, neither willing to give into the other. Finally, Naomi sighed resignedly. As much as she wanted to help this boy, it was obvious that Ichiru wasn't going to let her and she realized for the first time how much he had grown since he first came here nearly ten years ago. It had all happened so fast that really none of the servants were prepared to let go of the image of Ichiru as that frightened little boy who had first come to them. It was hard, relating human time to vampire time. "Alright," she gave in. "Do what you want."

"Thank ya, Naomi," said Ichiru, offering a small bow while grinning slightly with the satisfaction he had won. "Now, I'm hungry. Is there any supper left over?"

Nodding, Naomi reached over to the bowl she had had sitting out on the table beside her and proffered it to Ichiru. "I saved some for you. I figured since I wouldn't let you eat breakfast this mornin' you'd be right starvin'."

Smiling in relief that his hope had not been in vain, Ichiru stepped over to the maid and took the bowl from her, offering his gratitude. Almost instantly, he began slurping the porridge down, never minding how cold it was. He was just glad to have something in his stomach.

Naomi watched with slight amusement as the boy guzzled down his pitiful meal. The appetite of teenage boys never ceased to amaze her. Then, the woman suddenly remembered something. Scurrying over the kitchen, she pulled open a drawer and extracted from within it, a bright red rose. Returning to Ichiru, she handed him the bloom and said, "Here. This came for ya while ya were workin'."

Ichiru was somehow able to put down the bowl of food long enough to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand before reaching out to take the rose from the vampire. "Who's it from?" he asked, his brow creased in slightly uncertainty.

Shrugging, Naomi replied, "No clue. There's a note tied to it, though. See?" She pointed out a bit of parchment paper bound to the thorny emerald stem with a black ribbon.

Curious, Ichiru pulled the ribbon undone and took the note, unfurling it and peering curiously at the scrawled cursive upon it. After he deciphered the message, his eyes widened in shock and he quickly crumpled the bit of paper in his fist. He could feel his face growing warm.

"Well, who's it from?" Naomi prodded, but Ichiru shook his head.

"It's from no one. Just…" Ichiru couldn't finish his statement, however. He suddenly found he desperately need to be alone. Getting up quickly from the table, he gave Naomi one last glance and thanked her again for saving him a bit of food before dashing off to his bedroom. Once inside, he closed the door firmly behind him and leaned against it, panting slightly. Then, he brought out the small note again and unfolded it. He scanned the message, hardly daring to believe it.

_I'm sorry, Ichiru._

_ Zero _


	5. Kyuuketsuki

_*A/N: Drum roll, please! __*****__Snare drums pound and trumpets play* It's finally done! I've worked tirelessly, night after night, to bring this chapter to you and here it is! ...Okay, so last night I didn't really work that hard 'cause me and my little brother went to the midnight première of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", which was totally AWESOME, by the way. DO NOT BELIEVE THE BAD REVIEWS! It was truly epic! X3 ANYWHO, I did finally get this chapter done and I think it's my longest one yet. Oh, you'll probably noticed that Ichiru's dialogue has changed a bit. While writing this chapter, I remembered that he's a servant and has had a very limited education (which coincidentally gets mentioned in this chapter), so his speech should be more plain compared to be people like Zero or Shizuka or even Maria. I'm pretty sure I changed it in all the other chapters, too, but if I missed a couple, oh well! Anyway, enjoy! ^^*_

**Chapter Five**

**Kyuuketsuki**

The dream had returned, only this time, there was one slight difference.

_He was twelve years old once more, standing in the stunning garden he had spent so much in as a child. The air was saturated with the sweet, flowery scent, so comforting in in its familiarity, and the clear sunlight streaming down from the robin's egg blue sky bathed everything in warmth, even the soft grey stone beneath his feet. All was there, exactly as he remembered it. The aged copper table and chairs crafted into an elegant ivy design with the large green umbrella canopying the set where he and his parents used to have tea in the afternoon, the clearwater pond with the small waterfall trickling into it where he had caught tadpoles the summer he turned nine (he had incubated them in his bedroom in secret but they had escaped once they all transformed into frogs. This had naturally caused quite an uproar and had gotten him into a world of trouble). It was all there. There was only one thing missing. The most important thing of all._

_ His parents. _

_ The memory of the family he had lost so suddenly caused a jagged streak of pain to rip through his chest. He missed them so terribly much..._

_ At that moment , he got the sudden sense that he should turn around. Half twisting his body to glance over his shoulder , he was shocked to behold the two people he had never expected to see again. There stood his mother and father, smiling beatifically at him. It was as though nothing had changed. He spun around, a gleeful smile on his young face, and rushed towards his parents, laughing. "Mother! Father!" he cried, his arms outstretched towards his mother, who crouched down with her arms opened wide to welcome him into her bosom._

_ Wrapping him in her warm embrace, his mother buried her face into his silver hair, her own brown strands intermingling with it. "Oh, my baby! I'm so glad to have you back!" she exclaimed. "We've missed you so..."_

_ He snuggled his own face in the crook of his mother's neck, a silly grin on his small face as he breathed in her familiar scent of water and lilies. "I've missed you, too, Mother," he replied happily._

_ His father then reached out and ruffled his hair lovingly, just as he always did in the past."Welcome home, son," he murmured softly. _

_ He lifted his face to beam up at his father, to see those kindly features to which he was so accustomed . However, what he found instead horrified him. His father had no face. There was nothing set into the ashen grey flesh. Only a twisted, gruesome sneer. A pair of large, terrific fangs protruded from the lipless mouth. Blood, fresh blood, dribbled from the corners of the misshapen gash. Its bright red colour dripped, dripped, dripped to the ground, staining the stone. Everything was stained the deep crimson of blood. Even the sky was a hue of deep, viscous scarlet._

_ His heart racing with fear, he looked to his mother for comfort and protection. His eyes only widened in further horror. His mother had morphed into one of the frightful creatures as well. The blood that coated her skin and clothing was rubbing off on him, dyeing him red. The urge to flee welled powerfully within him. He pushed away at the she-devil and stumbled backwards. His heart was racing. His breath came out in short, ragged gasps. He needed to get away. He needed to escape these demons. They slithered after him, clawing and groping at him with their gnarled talons, further dirtying him with their bloody hands._

_ "Why, son...?" they gurgled, their voices eerily hollow and devoid of all human emotion. "Why do you run from your loving parents...?"_

_ "No!" he screamed, the frightened tears of a young boy pooling in his eyes. "No! You're not my parents! Get away from me! No! Get away!" His back hit a wall. He could not retreat any further. That did not stop him from trying, though. He still continued to to press himself against the wall, willing it to allow his escape. It was in vain. The monsters caught him. They clung to his tattered, stained clothing and dug their claws into his ripped flesh. Their hot, putrid breath filled his nostrils they lowered their great fangs to his young, tender neck. In terror, he clamped his eyes shut. He was gong to die. Right here, right now. He was going die. He could feel the sharp prick of oversized canines on his skin..._

_ Then, he felt nothing. He heard nothing. He smelled nothing. All around him was an unsettling stillness. Even so, he was much too frightened to open his eyes. Taking several deep breaths, he waited for his heartbeat to slow. He stood completely motionless, not even daring to let himself quake in fear. After a minute or two, he finally summoned enough courage to crack one eye open a tiny sliver, only to be blinded by a pure white light. He winced. Then, he let himself open his eyes fully, allowing them to adjust to the unexpected brilliance. Once he did, he was shocked to find his mirror image standing across the way from him. _

_ The other boy was clad wholly in white, surrounded by a light of the same hue. The boy's eyes, an identical silvery lilac shade to his own, were wide with horror and he realized he must have witnessed the entire scene. His heart sank. That was too much terror for such an innocent being. Even the blood could not touch his other. There was no reason for him to have had to witness such frightening things._

_ For a long while, the two boys merely stared at each other, marvelling the other's presence. Then, the boy in white's eyes grew wide and he took a step forward, his hand outstretched. He was mouthing frantically, seemingly try to warn him of something but was mute. Upon realizing this, the boy became increasingly desperate and began gesturing wildly to his other. He could only shake his head. He didn't understand. Before he could read further into his doppelgänger's actions, he vanished, leaving him alone in the desolate land covered in blood once more._

_ "No!" he cried, horrified at the idea of being left alone. "No! Come back! Please! Don;t leave me alone any more! Please!" At that moment, he saw a dark form move in his peripheral vision and a pair of razor sharp fangs punctured his neck._

Earl Zero Kiryu woke with a start.

That nightmare had plagued him since he was a child, since directly after his parents' horrid murder, and it still affected him all the same. His heart was racing, he could hardly breathe, his bare chest glistened with sweat, and his fingers were knotted in the sheets beneath him as though clinging to them for dear life. His pallid amethyst eyes stared, unfocused, at the the rich canopy above him, glazed over with residual fear. He hated this. He hated the dread the old nightmare invoked in him, the feeling of complete helplessness. It was the same feeling he experienced whenever he was near that despicable woman. Then, there was that other sensation as well...

The fear left over from the horrible dream was quickly dissipating, giving away to a hunger so intense it was painful. Unfortunately for Zero and many others, it was not the sort of hunger that could be satisfied with a slice of cheesecake. No, it was something much darker, much more savage, and it was greatly attracted to the scent of blood that lingered on the china fragment resting on the nobleman's bedside table. Oh, how it remembered the sweet taste of that blood. So delicious, so fulfilling... It wanted more.... No! He mustn't think that way. That would mean surrendering to their ways and their desires. He wouldn't allow himself to do that.

With a frustrated growl, Zero threw the covers off of himself and made to get up from the bed. As soon as he got to his feet, a wave of pain washed over him. Emitting a strangled cry, he doubled over and clutched at his chest, grabbing a bedpost for support. Gasping for air, he waited for the pain to subside enough for him to stagger to the bathroom adjoining his bed chamber. There, he stumbled towards the porcelain sink and groped for the glass sitting near the silver faucet, filling it with cool water. He then reached for a black pillbox and opened it, shaking a couple of pale red tablets into his hand. Dropping these tablets into the glass, the young man watched bitterly as they dissolved in the water, turning it a translucent crimson. He despised this vile concoction and despised himself even more for depending on it. When the tablets finished dissolving, he took up the glass and swirled the liquid as he gazed at it distastefully before downing it in one gulp.

Almost instantly, he felt the need to vomit. The medicine had never sat well with him, something in his makeup rejecting it forcibly whenever it entered his system. Forcing his body to accept the liquid, Zero fought against his urge to throw up and dragged himself to the window of the bathroom, moving the thick curtain to peer outside.

It was a golden autumn day, rare for so late in the season and the sun was approaching its zenith. All good little vampires were in bed by this hour, not even the steward stirring but for some grave emergency. The young earl expected himself to be the only one up at this time, which was why he was surprised to find someone slinking through the gardens towards the woods at the edge of the property. It was even more to his surprise when he realized this someone was Ichiru, the sunlight glinting off of his silvery locks. What he was doing skulking around outside at this hour? The boy may be human but he had been brought up by vampires. Even he should be asleep by now.

His curiosity piqued, Zero left the window to find a shirt.

* * *

Ichiru glanced around anxiously before continuing his journey from his hiding spot towards the woods. He mustn't be caught. He could only imagine the trouble he would be in if someone were to find him out of the servants' quarters past curfew. However, he couldn't take it any longer. The sleepless nights that had plagued him since Earl Kiryu's arrival, the secrecy that seemed to be surrounding everything, including him. Even Lady Shizuka was hiding something from him. That was to be expected, of course, as aristocrats often left their servants in the dark about a lot of things they were involved with, especially if it was a matter of politics. However, the young man suspected his mistress was withholding information about his family as well as the earl and that frustrated him. In a world where blood meant everything, not having a proper identity was almost a fate worse than death. There was a gaping hole in the young servant's life where a family should be and no one was helping him fill it, even though he knew they could.

He really just needed a place to think and there was no better place for that then the old willow tree.

The young man had discovered the ancient tree when he was nine after getting lost in the woods. He had slipped away from his chores with Maria and initiated a game of hide-n-seek. He had thought he would be clever and hide in the woods while Maria searched for him in the garden. Of course, he hadn't realized how confusing and intimidating the maze of trees could be in the dark and soon became lost. Perfectly terrified, the boy had stumbled amongst the roots and undergrowth for hours before coming across a clearing. In the middle of the clearing stood an archaic weeping willow tree, illuminated magnificently in the moonlight. For some reason, Ichiru had found this sight comforting and had rushed towards the tree, collapsing into sobs at its roots. Maria had found him about an hour later and took him back to the manor where he received some tough love from Naomi, but he never forgot how safe that tree had made him feel.

Ever since that incident, that ancient willow tree had become Ichiru's favourite place on the entire estate and he often went there when he wanted to be alone or was thinking on something very difficult, such as his issues with the earl and the mysteries surrounding his own past.

Having reached the tree and its clearing, Ichiru ran his hands over the smooth bark of the behemoth trunk. He couldn't help but smile. This tree always had the ability to make him feel peaceful, even at his most upset. He gazed up into the drooping branches soaring above him, dappled sunlight falling onto his face. Then, he clutched at the nearest branch and braced himself against the trunk as he pulled himself up into the tree. He climbed a few branches higher before coming to rest in the crook a sturdy branch created with the trunk of the tree. It was Ichiru's favourite perch and he was soon settled in, drawing his knees to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them.

The air was cool, the clear sunlight doing little to warm it, and a light breeze rippled through the falling leaves and Ichiru's silver hair. It was the perfect weather for thinking. Or daydreaming, which Ichiru began to do before reminding himself he needed to think. Shifting slightly, the young man huddled against the cold and started to ponder over the events of the past week. The earl... What was going on with him, really? All this talk of love for Ichiru and of finding him, but with no true demonstration of the former. However, there was no doubt in the servant's mind that he was what the aristocrat had been searching for these past few years. The question was why, though. Why had Kiryu been looking for him? Ichiru was nothing more than an insignificant servant, a human with no extraordinary powers to speak of. What was so special, or rather, so wrong about him that it had been forbidden that the nobleman found him? Nothing made sense.

Just then, a rustling noise jarred Ichiru from his thoughts. Repositioning himself to stare in the direction the noise had come, the young man stiffened in preparation to react at a moment's notice. He narrowed his eyes and waited. It was probably merely a squirrel or something like that, but it couldn't hurt to be ready. However, it was not a squirrel. Another human being had entered through the curtain of the willow's drooping branches, another young man with silver hair and light purple eyes.

"Kiryu!" barked Ichiru, thoroughly annoyed. How dare this man intrude upon his secret place? No one asked him to come traipsing around the woods at this time of day.

The earl lifted his face to gaze up into the tree and smirked when he noticed Ichiru perched amongst its branches. "What a pretty little bird I spy up in this tree," he jeered, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. "Or perhaps you are a curious little kitten in need of rescue?"

Gritting his teeth Ichiru snarled, "Go t' hell, Kiryu."

"Oh, kitty's got claws," the nobleman continued to mock the other boy. "For all his talk of formalities and the proper relationships between servants and their masters, this kitten is speaking to me quite plainly."

The kitten analogy was truly starting to get on Ichiru's nerve, although that didn't take much with the earl. He dug his nails into the trunk beside him and growled, "I said shut up, Kiryu."

"Actually, kitty told me to go to hell," Kiryu pointed out smartly.

"Stop callin' me kitty!" Ichiru scrambled down from the tree and stormed up to the aristocrat, glaring at the young man murderously. "What're ya doin' here anyways? No one asked ya t' come!"

Lifting a fair eyebrow skeptically, the hunter tilted his head to the opposite side and said, "Do I need permission to go for a walk in the woods?"

Ichiru persisted to glare at Kiryu but didn't respond. He knew the other man had him with that. However, he wasn't going down without a fight. "What're ya doin' out so late anyways?" he snapped. "It's the middle of the day."

"You are out as well," the earl countered.

For a moment Ichiru thought he had been beat again but then he remembered one irrefutable fact that would excuse his being out during the daylight hours. He knew that the noble could also use this fact for himself but he didn't care. He was too proud of having thought of this, which was odd as it wasn't something he was usually proud of. Straightening up and crossing his arms defiantly, the young servant stated with a smug tone, "I'm human. It's perfectly natural for me t' be up durin' the day."

There was silence for a second as the two boys stared at each other. Ichiru was absolutely certain he had won this battle, but a nearly mournful expression from Kiryu cooled his ire somewhat. Why was he looking at him that, as though the mere sight of him was enough to bring him to tears? In a way, it was more disturbing than the predatory look the aristocrat often fixed him with. However, that could be because the servant couldn't picture the earl actually crying.

"Yes," Kiryu said quietly almost whispering. "Yes, you are human." Then, he seemed to regain some sense of himself and he added airily, "Well, I'll just leave you to... whatever it was that you were doing. Ta." With a wave of his hand, the aristocrat hunter turned and began to leave the shade of the willow, but Ichiru's next words stopped him him in his tracks.

"Why were ya lookin' for me?"

The nobleman froze and glanced over his shoulder. "I saw you from my window," he answered casually.

Ichiru rolled his eyes in exasperation. He knew the earl was being difficult on purpose. "No, I'm talkin' 'bout the fact you've been searchin' for somethin' these past few years," he spat, clenching his fists at his sides. "Why were ya lookin' for me?"

Kiryu did not answer at first. He simply turned around to stare curiously at the servant. The boy was sharper than he looked. This could be dangerous in the future. "How are you so certain that I was searching for you?' he questioned softly. "You're wholly insignificant, aren't you?"

Saying nothing, Ichiru glared at the aristocrat. He was completely certain he was what the earl had been searching for these past years. Nothing would convince him otherwise. All that talk about 'finding him' and 'not wanting to lose him', there was no other possibility. The only question was why and that was what the young man was determined to find out. He set his jaw stubbornly, showing that he was, under no circumstances, backing down.

"Didn't I warn you about sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?" Kiryu inquired, sounding more amused than angry. Then, with a soft smirk, he added, "But yes. You are what I have been searching for, what, five years now?"

The thoroughly satisfied look the hunter then fixed Ichiru with was almost enough to make the servant want to flush, but he didn't. Fighting down the colour desperate to rise in his face, the servant boy continued to glare determinedly at the other boy and asked again, "Why were ya lookin' for me?"

Once more, the nobleman took his time in responding. He began walking closer to Ichiru, who attempted to stand his ground but was forced to back up as the earl encroached upon his comfort zone. Soon, Kiryu had the servant's back against the tree trunk, a position they always seemed to end up in. Placing one palm flat on the trunk beside Ichiru's head, the hunter put his weight on his outstretched arm as he leaned in towards Ichiru. "I've already told you the reason I had been seeking you out," he murmured. He leaned in even closer so that his face was only a few millimetres away from the other young man's, his hot breath rushing over the other's lips giving off a faint chalky scent. "You're my soul mate."

There was that word again. Never had it held such disturbing meaning for Ichiru as it did now. He didn't want to be Kiryu's soul mate, God damn it! He didn't even want to be within one hundred feet of the man! He didn't want his attentions, his kisses, or anything to do with Earl Zero Kiryu. "I told ya not t' kiss me any more," Ichiru stated, somewhat shakily. The flush he had been fighting earlier had returned with a vengeance and he was sorely losing. He could feel his cheeks beginning to colour as his heart pounded against his ribcage but he didn't let his face betray his anxiety. He managed to keep his expression stony and his eyes defiant as he glared at the nobleman trapping him against the tree.

Kiryu smirked at this obstinacy and, his eyes half closed, purred, "Oh, but I very much want to kiss you."

"But I don' want ya t'," retorted Ichiru darkly. "I never have."

At these words, the earl backed off, furthering the distance between the two of them while still keeping the servant pinned to the tree. "Did you not get my rose?" he asked, sounding somewhat shocked at Ichiru's rejection. "I gave instructions for it to be delivered to promptly on your return to the servants' quarters..."

Ichiru hesitated for a moment. He briefly played with the idea of telling Kiryu he received no such thing but quickly dismissed it. "Yeah, I did," he said slowly. "That don' mean that I'm gonna allow ya t' kiss me, though!"

"But I apologised,"stated the nobleman as though this should have meant all things were forgiven and he should now be allowed to have his way. Clearly, Kiryu didn't know how an apology worked and Ichiru was intent on educating him.

Shaking his head in vexation, the young servant explained, "If ya do the thin' ya apologised for again, the apology don' mean anythin'. 'Sides, if you're not even brave enough t' say sorry t' me in person, why should I accept it?"

The aristocrat seemed to mull this over before pressing closer to Ichiru. "Is that what you want?" he inquired, sounding quite serious. "Do you want me to apologise to you personally?"

Ichiru nodded, officially flushed now. Actually, he wasn't sure if he truly wanted Kiryu to apologise. Would it mean anything if he did? However, being so close to Kiryu was causing his brain to function sluggishly. He hated this effect the aristocrat had on him. He didn't like feeling so helpless, so out of control. His body reacted to the other man completely of its own accord, a reaction he couldn't understand. It was all so foreign to him.

"I'll apologise if you let me kiss you," Kiryu compromised, moving still closer to the cornered servant. He could nearly hear the young man's heart pounding in his chest, racing for him and for him alone. Still, this did not make the noble happy. Ichiru's heart was not racing out of love and desire, but hatred and apprehension. He knew this and it displeased him. He wanted so desperately to change that.

Ichiru, however, had no desire to change these feelings. "No!" he snapped incredulously, disgusted by such an exchange. He shoved Kiryu roughly away, finally having had enough of the earl being so close to him. Placing his hands firmly on his hips he demanded, "What kinda deal's that?!"

"I guess you don't want my apology then." Kiryu took a few more steps backwards, away from the servant, before turning to leave once more.

"I don' want it that bad," muttered Ichiru under his breath, crossing his arms. The boy was still flushed, but he continued to glare murderously at the retreating nobleman. Good riddance to him.

Just as the hunter reached the curtain of golden, falling leaves, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He doubled over, clutching at his chest and growled in agony as he grabbed a pendulous branch for support. The tablets hadn't worked, although this wasn't that much of a surprise. Even so, to have an attack right here, with Ichiru so close by...

Upon witnessing this, Ichiru's innate concern overrode his lingering hatred for Kiryu. This was just like the first night they had met, when the nobleman had had that attack. He wondered again if the earl was seriously ill and almost instantly became sympathetic. He took a step towards the earl, his hands outstretched, and asked in a worried tone, "Are... are ya alright?"

"Stay back!" ordered Kiryu. The hunger was returning and it was stronger than ever. It could hear Ichiru's blood rushing just below his soft flesh. It could detect every rhythmic pulsation of the boy's heart pumping his life fluid through his veins. Hell, it could almost taste the sweet red liquid... No! He mustn't allow himself to even entertain such desires. Realising every moment the two of them were together Ichiru's life was in immediate danger, Kiryu straightened up as best he could and murmured darkly, "Don't come near me. Don't come to my rooms tonight either. In fact, stay away from me for the rest of my stay here."

This took Ichiru aback a little. Blinking in surprise, he hesitated, feeling divided. A part of the young man was practically bursting with joy at the prospect of not having to see the earl for the rest of his visit but the more compassionate part of his being was somewhat concerned for the nobleman. He knew all too well what it was like to be ill and there being no help for it. It was one of the worst feelings in the world.

Taking a step back, Ichiru set his jaw and nodded. "Alright," he murmured, balling his hands into fists at his side.

Kiryu returned his nod and began to stalk away again. Then, before he could stop himself, Ichiru blurted out:

"Take care, 'kay?"

Once again, Kiryu halted and turned back to gaze at the servant quizzically, as though he couldn't quite believe his ears. Ichiru couldn't quite believe that the words had come out of his mouth either and embarrassed, he flushed deeper.

"Y-ya know," he muttered, his shoulders shooting up to his ears. "I know what it's like t' be sick. It's no fun. So... take care of yourself, alright?"

Kiryu continued to stare curiously at Ichiru before his lips contorted into something that could only be called a smile, although that really wasn't what it was. The servant boy had noticed that even when the nobleman smiled, he still appeared as though he was either ready to kill someone or inexplicably sad. "Thank you, Ichiru," Kiryu murmured, sounding very sincere, something which shocked Ichiru. Then, Kiryu vanished, perhaps returning to his rooms or perhaps not, but leaving the servant boy alone nevertheless.

Ichiru hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath when he exhaled loudly, falling to his knees and slumping over, disheartened His heart was still racing and the colour in his face deepened. God, he felt pathetic. Why did he feel this way? What was he even feeling in the first place? It was so strange and completely unfamiliar. Shaking his head, he decided then was not the time to examine his feelings. What was more important was the fact that that little encounter hadn't helped him at all.

He had gotten almost no information out of the earl, except for confirmation of facts he had already thought to be true. Perhaps he wasn't being forceful enough. However, now the hunter was ill and didn't want Ichiru anywhere near him it seemed. With only a few days remaining until Kiryu's departure, that left little to no time for further interrogation. There was little hope Ichiru would learn anything more from the man. Still, the young servant was not merely content to being left in the dark. It would require some serious investigation on his part, but he would discover the secrets being kept from him. Maybe he'd even enlist Maria in assisting him. He knew the small girl would be more than willing to help.

Sighing, Ichiru stood and began to make his way through the forest back towards the manor house.

* * *

Watching from the balcony of his fiancée's chambers, Rido smirked as he observed the earl exiting the woods, gimping in obvious pain. This smirk deepened in pleased malice when he noticed the young servant Shizuka was so found of emerging from the trees as well. So, the two had had a little late morning rendezvous, now did they? Oh, the things the pureblood could imagine occurring in the cover of those trees. The embarrassed, anxious air the human boy carried about him that was so obvious even Rido could sense it was enough to facilitate these thoughts. The poor boy was so innocent it was almost precious! So much so that the dark prince nearly felt bad about the things he planned to do with him. Only nearly, though. His plans were too important to much care about one simple child.

A small noise behind him caused Rido to tear his bi-coloured eyes from the brightly lit lawn below and direct his attention back inside the room. Shizuka lay on the eloquently outfitted bed, marks and bruises still gracing her delicate skin. A lightly oozing slash between her breasts had been made by a hunter weapon, sealing her healing abilities. Her fiancé hated it when she healed so quickly.

Horrible leer playing on his otherwise handsome lips, Rido closed the heavy curtains that blocked out the sunlight and returned the bed. "Don't worry, my dear. I haven't forgotten about you..."

* * *

Yet another murder had occurred.

This time, it had been a young woman in the red light district had been completely drained of blood. What was worse, it had been a human girl. This news caused Ichijo to sigh desolately. Recent events had been most worrisome, creating paranoia amongst the public and putting a great amount of strain on the monarchy. As of late, people had been stating that the king was useless and doing nothing to put a stop to these horrid crimes. Support of Senate rule had increased and poor Haruka was trying so hard to maintain peace. If only the populace knew how much effort the Kuran family was putting into bringing the murderers, the Mors Mortis Lilium, to justice.

"Things are not looking good, my dear Shiki," the blonde aristocrat sighed to his companion, a passive youth with artfully untidy auburn hair and misty blue eyes who was browsing over the newspaper containing the article that had detailed the gruesome homicide.

Senri Shiki, a man of few words, nodded as he turned another page of the paper.

Sighing again, Ichijo continued, "The poor Kurans. They have no control over the Lilium and yet everyone accuses them of their crimes as though they did. Horrible, just horrible. The Senate is gaining steam as well, which isn't good for anyone. I still don't understand why His Majesty doesn't just disband that bureaucratic organization."

"You better not let your grandfather hear you saying that," muttered Shiki warningly, not even glancing up from his newspaper. "He will disinherit you faster than you can blink."

Ichijo offered his companion a quiet smile but fell silent nonetheless. The Ichijo and Shiki families were what could be consider 'pro-Senate' with Ichijo's grandfather and Shiki's great uncle both having seats in the political body. The two young heirs of these families, however, supported the monarchy. This may be a bit biased since the young men were friends of the royal children, yet they had also witnessed the corruption within the Senate. One only need to look at Asato Ichijo to realize he was poison. Still, people insisted that the Senate was much better for the realm than the monarchy. People were always in need of a scapegoat.

"What does the Lilium hope to gain by murdering human prostitutes anyway?" Shiki wondered aloud, sounding nearly bored as was customary for him. He lifted his eyes from the greyed paper in his hands to his more expressive companion.

Shrugging, Ichijo glanced at the amber liquor in his scotch glass as he swirled it contemplatively around. "To put strain on the already tenuous relationship between humans and vampires, I suppose," the blonde replied with a melancholy sigh. "Which in turn puts more strain on the monarchy."

Shiki shifted in his seat at the wooden table and flipped through another section of the paper. "What a roundabout way of doing things," he said. "Why doesn't the Master just go and directly confront His Majesty if he's so desperate for power?"

Thinking this over, Ichijo had to admit his old friend had a fair point. However, records from the past, not to mention the king's memory, told that straight-forward confrontations were not the Lilium's style. They preferred elaborate schemes and devious, underhanded methods to achieve what they wanted. "The Master probably wants to make sure everything is perfect for going for a direct confrontation," the flaxen-haired aristocrat offered musingly, taking a sip of his whiskey. "Besides, he doesn't have the key yet."

"Hmph." Shiki made an incredulous noise, closing the newspaper and folding it before tucking under his arm reaching for his own drink. "I don't think such a thing exists."

"The Master thinks it does," Ichijo pointed out. "And so does His Majesty. King Haruka is not a foolish man. He wouldn't believe in something unless he had proof it existed."

Glancing up at his comrade, a faint curiosity flickering in his misty eyes, Shiki inquired, "What proof does His Majesty have?"

With a nonchalant shrug, Ichijo answered, "I really have no idea. I've never discussed proof with him. I'm just implying that his character dictates he would not take something seriously unless he had proof of it, that's all."

Shiki appeared as if he was about to rebut this statement when the bartender, a portly, balding man with a grubby white apron approached the table.

"Sir," he addressed Shiki. "There's a young lady phoning you. She says it's urgent."

Shiki nodded and excuse himself from the table, following the bartender to the telephone booth towards the back of the tavern. Ichijo, being left alone, let his thoughts wander. He pondered over such things as the motives of the Lilium and their quest for this supposed 'key', the masquerade ball that was fast approaching, his last communication with the prince of the realm (Kaname had come off as rather grumpy last time the old friends had spoken and had failed to disclose his reasoning), not to mention the newest novel by his favourite author... He was just reflecting over the finer points of cream puffs when Shiki returned to the table.

"That was Rima," the auburn-haired vampire informed the other, startling him out of his reverie. "I'm late and she's angry. I must leave."

Ichijo smiled sympathetically and rose from the table, collecting his hat and cane before depositing a few coins on the table. Then, the two young aristocrats exited the taverns, bid the other farewell, and went on their separate ways down the dank, foggy streets of the capital.

* * *

Ichiru was certain that Kiryu was a disease of the brain.

How else could one explain why the infuriating man refused to leave the boy's mind? The enigmatic conversation they had share in the woods echoed in his head the entire time as he he did his chores for the night. Many were surprised to see Ichiru performing his usual duties instead of serving Earl Kiryu as he was expected to be doing. The human servant handwaved this by simply stating the nobleman was ill and did not want to see anyone. This, of course, brought up the question of what he was stricken with, to which Ichiru could only offer a shrug. He really had no idea what was afflicting the hunter. It was one of the many mysteries about Kiryu that kept the earl in the young man's mind.

Ichiru thought himself something of a self-proclaimed expert when it came to sicknesses, having had so many as he was a child. He remembered that particularly awful bout of pneumonia that had nearly killed him when he was twelve. That had been the second time Lady Shizuka had saved his life, offering her pure blood to permanently cure him of his chronic ill health. However, he didn't believe the earl had pneumonia. Besides the seemingly acute chest pains, the aristocrat wasn't exhibiting any of the usual symptoms. Then, there were those red eyes... Yes, whatever Kiryu had come down with was not something Ichiru was familiar with and that worried the young man more than he was willing to admit. At least if he knew what was making the nobleman sick, he could ask Naomi how to cure him.

Not only that but there was that mysterious connection he felt with the other man, the one that made his heart race. He now couldn't even think about the earl without blushing. It was ridiculous. He was acting like a girl who had found her first love, which made absolutely no sense. He hated Kiryu! Didn't he? The man was an obnoxious, self-righteous bastard who expected the entire world to bow to his constantly shifting moods and desires. There was not a single redeeming quality that man possessed. So why did Ichiru keep trying to find one? Was it because the earl could possibly be connected to his family? He had no desire to be possibly related to a complete monster.

"If you're so worried about him, why don't you go check up on him?"

Ichiru ignored Maria, dumping the last pail of rubbish into the sewage canal with a determined shake. Even though he had not said anything about his concern for the nobleman, the young woman instinctively knew. Sometimes he hated how the girl knew him so well, although he knew it was mostly his fault. There were no secrets between him and Maria. The small vampire was his best friend, the closest thing to an older sister he had. However, that didn't mean he wanted her prying into the perceived relationship he had with the earl. He didn't like it when anyone talked about that or tried to get him to talk about it. Gathering up the now empty pails laying around his feet, he began the mile and a half trek back to the manor house.

"Ichiru?" Maria slid off the low stone wall she had been sitting on and ran after her friend. Falling into step beside him, she said, "Would you please stop ignoring me? I'm only trying to be of help. Why won't you talk about Earl Kiryu? I know you spoke to him sometime during the day when _you weren't supposed to be out. _How else would you know he was ill? Anyway, did he do something to you? I mean, anything more than what he's already done. I mean..." The tiny vampire girl flushed and glanced away from Ichiru at the thought of her companion in such a position. Such an improper thought it was.

Rolling his eyes, Ichiru shook his head. He knew exactly what Maria was thinking. She was thinking that the earl had forced himself on him. While that hadn't happened, the young man wouldn't be surprised if it did. "No, he en't doin' nothin' t' me," he sighed. "I just don' want t' talk 'bout 'im."

"You're worried about him, though," Maria muttered softly, glancing knowingly up at Ichiru.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes after this, the stars sparkling in the autumn sky above them. It was a still night but for the slight, crisp wind rustling the fallen leaves that littered the ground. Maria shivered slightly against the chill and wrapped her coat tighter around her slender frame. This did not go unnoticed by Ichiru, whose pale lavender eyes clouded over with concern as he gazed down at his fellow servant.

"Hey, ya en't cold, are ya?" he asked gently. "Do you want my coat?"

With a small smile, Maria shook her head. "No, that's quite all right, Ichiru. You need it more than I do."

Although the young vampire probably didn't mean it, Ichiru couldn't help but feel that last statement was a bit loaded. "And why would that be, Maria?" he asked, unable to hide the slight snarl in his voice. "It en't 'cause I'm human, is it?"

Maria's blue eyes widened at this accusation. She sometimes forgot how sensitive the young man was about his humanity something which she never truly understood. There was nothing wrong with being human in her opinion. "N-No, Ichiru," she stammered hurriedly. "Of course not! At least, not really..."

"Why're ya here, anyway?" he inquired shortly. "There en't no reason for ya t' be here. It only takes one person t' dump the trash, human or no. Naomi or Kenta sent ya, didn' they?"

Blushing in part anger, part embarrassment, Maria answered, "No, I volunteered to come along! Naomi and Kenta just thought it was a good idea. However, unlike the issue with the coat, that _is_ because you are human!"

His face now contorted into an frustrated scowl, Ichiru demanded, "Why? Do I need t' be watched? Can' I be trusted t' throw rubbish into a canal?"

"Ichiru! Look around!" Maria stopped abruptly, spreading her arms and observing the area around them in exasperation. Ichiru paused, too, staring incredulously at his small companion. "We're in the middle of an area crawling with vampires. At _night_! You're one of the only humans for about ten miles and I don't know if you've noticed but your blood smells delicious. It's all we can do not bite you whenever you accidentally hurt yourself! And I'm sorry to tell you this, Ichiru, but you're not exactly the world's strongest fighter."

A lull once again fell over the couple as they stared at each other, Maria breathing heavily while Ichiru clenched and unclenched his fists the only way he could without dropping the buckets. After a few moments of this, the small girl sighed resignedly and let her shoulders droop. "This is such a pointless argument," she admitted, shaking her head. "The point is, this is not the safest time for you to be out on your own. Did you know another murder was committed in the capitol?"

Blinking, Ichiru, too, lowered his guard. "What...?" he said slowly. "Another one?"

Maria nodded.

Ichiru shook his head. "I don' understand what that has t' do with me, though!" he cried, his temper bubbling back to the surface. It was such a pathetic excuse for him to not be able to be out on his own. All the murders that had been occurring lately had happened in the capitol only. There was no reason for them to be afraid out here in the country. Not just that but there was another reason why Ichiru thought Maria's excuse was ridiculous. "All the victims've been vampires, right? Big names in pacifism an' thin's like that. Why would they go after me?"

"Ichiru," Maria began slowly, sadness filling her sapphire eyes as she gazed at the infuriated human. "They're starting to kill humans."

The news shocked Ichiru at first. Going after humans? When did this happen? However, he quickly got over this to argue. "But that's in the _capitol_, Maria!" he retorted, throwing his arms out in exasperation and making the buckets in his hands clang together. "That's miles away from here! Besides, how do we know it's vampires killin' all these people? What if it's just a normal human? I could carry 'round a knife or somethin' and be perfectly fine on my own!"

Maria shook her head. "They were drained of blood, Ichiru," she informed the other servant quietly. "Each and every one. There is no doubt this is the work of a vampire." Did this boy not get it? His life could be in serious danger! With the eerie amounts of attention Earl Kiryu paid Ichiru and all the powerful people the hunter was connected to, Naomi and Kenta had a right to be worried for the human's safety as did Maria. There was always a chance Ichiru could be the next target in the bloody political game that was being play in the realm.

When Ichiru continued to glare at her, the small girl sighed. She strode up to her friend and reached up to cup his face tenderly, gazing directly into his stormy lilac eyes as she said, "I don't know if you ever grasped this in your ten years with us, but you're a very precious person to us, Ichiru. None of us want to lose you. Okay?"

Ichiru sighed, somewhat vexed. It's not as if he hadn't heard this a hundred times before. "I en't a baby any more, Maria," he told the girl, moving his head to remove it from her grasp. "I can take care of myself." Turning, he once again began the journey back to Hio Manor.

Maria groaned quietly to herself and rolled her eyes before trotting off after the human adolescent. She fell back into step beside him, peering up at the star-strewn sky previous to her saying in a voice that she hoped sounded nonchalant, "Speaking of taking care of yourself, how's it going with Lord Kiryu? Have you found anything out from him?"

Ichiru shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I haven' asked him 'bout my family. He's avoided all the questions I have asked him, though. I don' think he's gonna tell me anythin'."

"I'm sure if you pressed a bit harder, he would at least tell something," Maria insisted.

"I don' think he will, Maria," Ichiru replied resignedly. "I don' think anyone wants me t' find out 'bout my family. Lady Shizuka seemed really worried 'bout somethin' like that..."

The small girl furrowed her fair brow in confusion. "Why would that be?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Surely there's nothing wrong with you questioning about your own origins."

Shrugging, Ichiru stared ahead down the long, dark road before them, drifting in and out of thought. It did seem rather suspicious that no one apparently wanted him to discover who he really was. This wouldn't have bothered the young man as much if this was because people truly didn't know who his family was, however, he couldn't help but feel that something was being hidden from him. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't like there dark, terrible secret involving his family. Was there?

"There's only a limited amount of time left."

"Hm?" Breaking out of his reverie, Ichiru glanced over at his petite companion and gazed at her inquisitively. "Time for what?"

"To interrogate Kiryu, of course!" Maria cried as though it were obvious.

Ichiru sighed and shook his head. "It en't gonna work, Maria," he said resignedly. "He en't gonna tell me anythin'. It's a waste of time."

"Please try, Ichiru!" Maria pleaded, clasping her hands together as if in pray, her blue eyes growing wide. "This could be your last chance! At least do it for me. Please? I hate seeing you unhappy..."

"If ya really hated seein' me unhappy, ya'd let me stay away from that damned earl," muttered Ichiru under his breath, looking away from the female vampire.

"What was that?"

"Nothin'!"

Maria looked uncertain. She glared murderously at the young human and pouted before looking away again. The couple fell quiet for the third time, each one preoccupied with their own thoughts. The girl felt the boy was being utterly ridiculous. He was giving up much too easily. For someone who was determined to find his family, he wasn't trying very hard. Ichiru needed to be more assertive or else he would never learn anything. She laughed at herself as she thought this. She was one to talk. The tiny girl would probably get even less from the nobleman, or anyone else for that matter, that Ichiru already had.

Ichiru's silvery eyes flickered over to his silent companion. Perhaps Maria was right. Maybe he should be a bit more forceful with Kiryu. His attempt in the woods had failed miserably due to his inexplicable reaction to the man. Next time, he had to be in better control of himself. He would not fall to the aristocrat's apparent charm like everyone else he set his eyes on. The young servant was still having a difficult time wrapping his brain around the idea of Kiryu having so many consorts, as the rumours said. How could anyone fall for him? It was simply mind-boggling.

Maria was the one to break the ice this time. "So, will you try talking to the earl again?" she inquired softly, her eyes flitting over to her human friend.

Shrugging, Ichiru replied, "Why not? It en't like it'd hurt anythin'."

The little girl beamed at these words. "It couldn't hurt a thing!" she agreed blithely, hopping a bit as they strode along the long dirt pathway. "Besides, you're worried about Kiryu anyway, aren't you?"

"No!" snapped Ichiru incredulously, flushing slightly. "Why the hell would I be worried 'bout that stuck-up, mean-spirited bastard?"

"Ichiru!" scolded Maria.

Ichiru gave Maria a 'why-are-you-yelling-at-me' sort of look. They were still at least a mile away from the manor house. Vampires had supernaturally good hearing but the young human highly doubted it was that good. He was allowed to say whatever he wanted to about the earl at the moment. Of course, he would turn it down once they returned home but out here in the middle of nowhere, there was no one to hear him and he would say whatever he damn well pleased.

Sighing, Maria shook her head. She sometimes forgot that she and Ichiru had grown up in entirely different worlds. The girl would have never said something so rude about someone of higher status than her, regardless of location and company. She had been brought up better than that. Ichiru had had a sketchy upbringing at best, although Kenta and Naomi had done as well as they could, and on top of that, he was a teenage boy. "I know you, Ichiru," Maria assured her friend. "You're the one who raised that baby bird you found in the woods until it could fly."

"So?" Ichiru shrugged. That had been years ago. He hadn't done anything even remotely similar to that since.

"So, you always worry about us when we get hurt, even though we heal much faster than you do, and you're always protecting me," Maria replied matter-of-factly as though it was an explanation.

Staring at the elfin girl in partial bafflement, Ichiru said, "Yeah, and it always ends up makin' me look like a damned fool. But what does any of that have t' do with anythin'?"

Maria sighed again and shook her head. Subtlety was never Ichiru's strong point, whether it be using it or ciphering it. "You care about people, Ichiru, regardless of who they are," she elaborated in slight exasperation. "I know you well enough to realise that much, which is why I know you're worried about Lord Kiryu, despite your protests."

Ichiru clenched his jaw at these words. Yes, he knew he was concerned for the aristocrat, who had locked himself in his chambers since the late morning, but he didn't feel comfortable admitting it. The nobleman had given him no reason for to care about him in the slightest, however, he was. The man has appeared to have been in so much pain during their last encounter. How could Ichiru not be worried? Anyone with a heart would be.

"So, it's settled then!" Maria piped up cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "You'll go check on Earl Kiryu because you are worried abut him and when you do, you can ask him about your family again. Maybe he's ill enough to tell you something useful this time!"

"Maria!" cried Ichiru in slight horror, glancing over at the girl. It wasn't what she had said that shocked him so much as the fact that she had been the one to say it. Especially since not a minute before she had been scolding him for doing much of the same. Double standard, anyone? Besides, it was horrible to wish illness on anyone, no matter who they were. He and Maria should realise that better than anyone.

"What? You were doing too!" Maria pointed out, sounding affronted.

"I got in trouble for that!"

"Well, that's not the point!" Straightening herself up imperiously, the lilliputian vampire girl peered sternly at her companion. "The point is that you are going to confront the earl one last time and bring me back some real information."

Rolling his eyes, Ichiru said with more than a hint of sarcasm, "Yes, Your Majesty. I shall make sure to bring ya back the proper sorta information regardin' _my_ family."

The female servant shoved her fellow playfully, trying to act affronted through her laughter. "That's not funny!" she cried unconvincingly as she tugged on Ichiru's short silver ponytail. "I am simply looking out for your well-being!"

"Sure ya are."

"I am so, and you know it!"

"Nope, I don' believe it."

"Oh, you're impossible!"

"Says ya."

"No, it's not just me. Everyone else think so as well."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yes, they do!"

"No way!

"Do you want to make a bet?"

Maaaybe..." Ichiru smirked mischievously as he gave Maria a sideways glance, his argent lavender eyes sparkling with childish devilry. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Maybe what?" Maria tilted her head to the side inquisitively as she ceased walking as well. She always became a little apprehensive when Ichiru got like this. He could be such a child sometimes. "It's a yes or no question."

Looking away from his friend Ichiru retained his smirk as he stared down the last expanse of the road before reaching the manor house. The thoughts running through his head were innocent, childish ones but they got his blood pumping nonetheless. As the saying goes: simple minds, simple pleasures. "I'll make that bet with you," he began, his smirk deepening, "if you beat me inna race."

Maria made an incredulous noise. Ichiru, a human, beat her, a vampire, in a race? Not to mention he was carrying about eight empty pails. There was absolutely no competition. Even so, she decided to humour the human . "All right" she agreed. "I'll race you to the front gates of the manor. If I win, we make the bet. If you win..." The girl trailed off, thinking of something to reward Ichiru with if he, by some miracle, won.

"You'll be my personal slave for a week?" Ichiru suggested, more joking than anything. Those were terms neither one of them would agree to. Being a servant was bad enough without the added duties of having to serve someone whom one needn't serve.

The small girl shoved the boy roughly, shaking her head. "Why would you even suggest that?" she asked with a sigh the which Ichiru responded with a shrug. "I was going to just say if you won, we wouldn't make the bet, but that really doesn't seem fair..."

"Why not?" inquired Ichiru, narrowing his argent eyes.

Maria once again realised all too late that she had tread right back into dangerous waters. Trying quickly to smooth over the situation before it got out of hand again, she quickly said, "Never mind! Look, do you want to race or not?"

Ichiru nodded, still glaring at the vampire waif. He then shoved his left hand and the four pails it grasped at her, making Maria blink in surprise. "If we're gonna race, though, we're gonna even the playin' field a little," he informed his friend firmly as she took the buckets he proffered her. "First of all, no vampire speed. We both go at human speed. If you don' like it, too bad. An' we carry the same amount of weight. Okay?"

Nodding, Maria separated the buckets so that she was holding two in each hand. Ichiru did realise that she was still stronger than he was, right? That wasn't exactly something she could turn off. Not wanting to spoil the human's fun, however, she didn't mention it. She just smiled and took her position to begin the race.

The boy smirked, rearranged his buckets in the same fashion as the girl, and took his position as well. Focusing his eyes intently on the distance ahead. "On your mark, get set..." He paused for a moment, letting the tension build up. "Go!"

* * *

"Hey, Naomi? Could you do somethin' for me?"

The head maid glanced up from retrieving dishes for the servants' supper and noticed Ichiru hovering anxiously right outside the tiny kitchen. At first, the slender woman was a bit annoyed to see the human there. Lady Shizuka had chosen to take dinner in her chambers that night but there were still chores to be done before supper. In particular, Ichiru was supposed to be cleaning out the chimneys with some of the other male servants yet he didn't have a speck of dirt on him. "What're you doin' down here, boy?" she demanded sternly, continuing with her task. "You're supposed to be cleanin' those chimneys. You've got no business bein' here!"

Ichiru shrank shamefully but he didn't leave. He had promised Maria he wouldn't back down. "I know," he said quietly. "But I have somethin' important t' do so I got one of the guys t' cover for me. Please, just do this for me?"

"What's so important that it made you decide it was alright to skip out on your chores?" inquired Naomi sharply, ceasing to pull dishes from the cupboard and turning to face the human boy, one hand on her hip and the other on the counter. She narrowed her mauve eyes dangerously. Kenta, who was preparing the servants' meal, glanced over his shoulder at the maid before his eyes flitted over to Ichiru. The expression in his dark eyes seemed to say, 'You better make it a good reason, laddie.'

Gulping, Ichiru nodded at Kenta. Then, he addressed Naomi. "I need ya t'... make some of your special soup. Please?" He blushed a little at this, not so much because of the words themselves but because of why he was making such a request. Whenever he and Maria fell ill, Naomi would concoct this broth that seemed to get them back on their feet in no time. There had once been a time when the boy would have sworn by it but now he knew it couldn't preform the miracles he once believed it could. However, it was still quite amazing.

The vampire woman's stern demeanour dissolved at that moment to be replaced by worry. "Why?" she asked, furrowing her brow in concern. "Are you feelin' ill? Or is Maria?"

"N-no!" Ichiru assured the female servant quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "No, we're both fine. It's... it's for Earl Kiryu actually." His blush deepened. He felt stupid for asking this of anyone, but like Maria had said, he was worried about the temperamental man.

As was expected, the maid seemed confused by the young man's request. "Excuse me?" she said, sounding a bit incredulously. "You want me to do what for that man?"

"I know it's strange for me for t' be askin' this, but the man is really sick!" Ichiru pleaded his case, almost desperately. This could be his very last chance. He needed Naomi to do this for him.

"I don't care if he's dyin' of consumption!" cried Naomi, throwing her arms in the air. "There ain't no way I'm liftin' a finger to help that man! I can't even believe you'd ask that of me! Why would you want to somethin' kind for the earl after the horrible way he's treated you? Always kissin' up on you and hurtin' you. You still have bruises, you know!"

Pulling his sleeves down further as to obscure the marks on his wrists, Ichiru muttered, "I get bruises all the time." When the woman still appeared skeptical, he added, "What 'bout helpin' me?" He hoped adding the possibility of benefiting him would sway the elder servant's resolve.

Shaking her head, Naomi said angrily, "What the hell does makin' my special broth for that bastard have anythin' to do with helpin' you?"

"He could know somethin' 'bout my family, Naomi," Ichiru admitted quietly.

The kitchen fell silent except for the bubbling of whatever Kenta had in the pots in the stove. Both the cook and the maid stared at the human servant, sadness and maybe a little bit of pity flickering in both pairs of eyes. In the ten years since Shizuka had shown up with the little orphan human, it had become quite easy to forget that the boy had come from somewhere else and probably did have some sort of family out there. Everyone had become so accustomed to his presence in the manor and seemed to fit in surprisingly well despite his being human, no one even gave a single thought towards the family Ichiru had come from, although it was apparently always on the young man's mind.

"Ichiru, love," Naomi sighed, using the endearing term she hardly ever used. "How on earth did you figure that this man has somethin' to do with your family?"

Shrugging, Ichiru looked away from the two vampires gazing pityingly at him and murmured, "I dunno. It's just a feelin'. 'Sides, we look so much alike it could be possible."

"A feelin' never got anyone anywhere, lad," Kenta told the boy, shaking his head. "An' plenty of people look alike without bein' related. Maybe it's a 'Prince and the Pauper' sorta situation with ye and the earl."

"Why does everyone always throw out that tired old story when I talk 'bout me an' Kiryu?" Ichiru looked back up at his two elders to glare at them murderously. "Maybe that en't got nothin' to do with us! Maybe there's somethin' more to our resemblance than just a coincidence! Maybe... maybe it's blood." He narrowed his eyes defiantly, daring either Naomi or Kenta to tell him otherwise. Truthfully, the human hoped that he and the nobleman weren't connected by blood. How horrible would it be to possibly be related to someone like Zero Kiryu? However, he could not deny the overwhelming likeness they shared, not to mention the connection he felt with the other young man. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was something to it.

When nobody say anything to this, Ichiru shifted apprehensively and added, "I'm really worried 'bout 'im, too. Even though he don' deserve it."

Sighing and shaking her head, Naomi said resignedly, "Fine. I'll make the damn soup."

Ichiru beamed. "Thanks, Naomi!"he cried, rushing to give the head maid a hug but she shooed him away, causing him to bow and apologise repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, whatever," the woman said gruffly. "Now, go sit over there and stay out of my hair."

Nodding, Ichiru turned to go sit in the dining area when he suddenly recalled something. Looking back to the two vampires, the boy asked, "Naomi? Kenta? D'ya think I'm impossible?"

"Yes," Kenta answered without hesitation.

"Very much so," agreed Naomi with a firm nod.

"Oh." Pouting a bit, Ichiru trudged over to a wooden bench and collapsed onto it. So now he had lost both the race and the bet. This was not looking like a good day for him at all.

* * *

As soon as Ichiru left with the soup she had prepared for him, Naomi turned to Kenta and hit him angrily in his well-muscled arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that that for?" demanded the cook indignantly, staring at the irate woman as though she were mad.

"I don't want that man to have anythin' to do with Ichiru!" Naomi snapped at the burly man, her cheeks red with fury. You better hope to God that the 'prince and pauper' scenario you mentioned is really the case or else I'm gonna chop of your testicles and carry them around with so you'll always remember your biggest fuck up!"

Kenta was still rubbing his arm incredulously, glowering at the maid. "Damn, woman," he growled through his gritted teeth. "What the hell is yer problem?"

"If that man is somehow connected to Ichiru's family or even if he ain't, the moment he gets the chance, he's gonna whisk him away to God knows where and that boy is gonna get horribly hurt or worse!" Naomi barked. This had been her worst fear ever since Maria had confirmed Earl Kiryu had his lecherous eye on the human servant. It was bad enough that Ichiru was beginning to develop some sort of affection for the aristocrat. although the woman could not for the life of her think of a reason for this. If the hunter somehow manages to make Ichiru fall in love with him... the boy would only end up worse for the wear.

Sighing, Kenta scratched the back of his head. "There ain't much we can do 'bout that," he pointed out. "Ichiru's a big boy now. We can't tell him what or what not to do any more. He ain't that little kid that the lady brought her all those years ago."

"No, Kenta, he's exactly that little kid!" cried Naomi desperately.

"No, Naomi, he ain't," Kenta told the hysterical woman firmly. "He ain't the little boy who would wake up cryin' in the middle of the day 'cause he had a nightmare. He don't get sick any more and he don't suck his thumb and he don't need help getting' things from the top shelf. Face it: our little boy is growin' up into a very capable young man. He may not be the brightest person in the world and he can be a damned fool at times but he's growin' up. We can't protect him any more."

"Like hell we can't!" insisted Naomi, beginning to take dishes roughly from the cupboards again. "He may be seventeen but he's still just a child! I will not have that man taking advantage of a child like he is!"

Kenta scratched his head, appearing slightly confused. "I always thought that Ichiru and Kiryu were of an age," the cook admitted, his brow furrowed. "They look it, anyway."

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Naomi growled, "That ain't the point! The point is I don't like the way he looks at the boy, like he's some sorta trinket or somethin'. It ain't natural, I tell you. It just ain't."

The cook sighed and strode over the the stressed maid, rubbing her shoulder consolingly. "I'm sure Ichiru'll be fine. He's been handlin' the situation alright by himself for this long. I'm sure he can deal with it for this one night."

Sighing and shaking her head, Naomi asked her fellow, "Ain't you worried about him at all, Kenta? "

"'Course, I am," the male vampire assured the female. "Like I said, he ain't the brightest and he's one of the most foolish people I've met, but he's a good kid. He'll turn out alright. He really will."

Naomi highly doubted this. It was her own fault that Ichiru still carried a sense of childhood naïveté. One would expect a child who had been raised in a household full of vampires would be more aware of the incredible danger lurking in the world. However, when Shizuka had first brought the human boy to the manor, expressing no interest in changing him, the maid had seen to it that all vampiric behaviour be hidden from the child so as not to frighten him. The young man spent the last ten years never fully comprehending what vampires were truly like nor had he ever been exposed to any sort of evil since setting foot in the Hio Manor. Naomi made sure of that. She had been hysterical when the lady had announced she would like Ichiru to escort her to events from now on. The servant woman couldn't control what the human boy was exposed to when he was out of the house. Now, with the unstable element of Earl Kiryu entering the sheltered environment she had created for Ichiru, she was completely certain the boy would get hurt. It was just a matter of time.

* * *

Ichiru lingered hesitantly outside the earl's chamber doors. He had planned on keeping his promise to Maria and speak to Kiryu one last time but now that he was there, he didn't believe he could go through with it. Not only were his own reservations preventing him from knocking on the gold-inlaid doors but an evil being exuded from the rooms beyond stilled his hand. He couldn't be sure what it was, having never felt such a dark aura before, but it appealed to his basest survival instincts, ordering him to flee from the area, to run as far away from these doors as he possibly could. His hand trembled as he gripped the handle of the silver serving cart on which the pot containing Naomi's soup sat, clutching it so hard his knuckles turned white. However, despite his innate fear, Ichiru took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Figuring that the infuriating hunter was simply ignoring him, Ichiru summoned a bit more courage and pounded harder on the door, calling, "Lord Kiryu! _Lord Kiryu_! It's me, Ichiru! Please open up!" Dear Lord, did he just say 'please'?

Once again, Kiryu didn't answer. Ichiru decided to give up on being polite and went for the gilded doorknob only to find it locked. He had anticipated this, which was why he had risked life and limb to retrieve a master key. All right, that was a bit dramatic but he had certainly risked his job._ See what you make me do, Kiryu? t_he servant thought bitterly as he removed the key from his pocket and shoved it into the lock roughly, turning it. Hearing the tumblers fall into place, Ichiru held his breath and pushed open the door cautiously.

The main room was empty and eerily still. It was devoid of any signs that someone may still be inhabiting the rooms at all. This only served to unnerve Ichiru more than he already was. Making his way slowly into the room, the young man's pallid violet eyes flitted anxiously over the area, skimming over the lush red couches and cherrywood furnishings that occupied it. The evil aura had grown stronger, however, the boy could not sense any immediate danger in the room itself so he ventured further in, pulling the serving cart with him.

"H-hello?" he called out uncertainly. "Hello? Lord Kiryu? Are ya there?"

No response once again, leaving Ichiru feeling rather on edge. There was just something not right about the atmosphere of these rooms... After a few seconds, however, a crash and what sounded like glass shattering resounded from one of the interior rooms, causing the servant to forget the oppressive air.

"Lord Kiryu!" cried Ichiru, instantly becoming worried as his nature dictated. Abandoning the serving cart , he made a dash into the bed chamber of the guest suite. Upon entering the room, the servant quickly checked for an injured person, someone who could use his help, limited as it was. When he couldn't find anyone, he moved to the bathroom. What he found there confirmed he should have listened to his instincts. He should have run.

Shattered glass littered the tile floor, some of it laying in a pool of transparent red liquid. Earl Kiryu was crouching beside the mess, grasping the porcelain sink with one hand and clutching at his neck with the other. The tattoo engraved in the left side of his pale column had changed, the black ink seeming to snake through the man's veins. He was heaving through gritted teeth as sweat rolled down his face and bare chest, matting his silver hair to his forehead. His eyes wee screwed shut, his face contorted in pain. The fact that the man was in obvious pain was not what terrified the servant, though. No, it was the aristocrat's teeth, which his lips were curled back to reveal. Two inhumanely large canines protruded obscenely from his upper gums, ending in razor sharp points specifically designed to puncture flesh. These were the teeth of a monster. These were Kiryu's fangs.

Ichiru knew about former humans, the ones purebloods had turned for some reason or another. Horror stories about how these humans-turned-vampires were used in the Great War that ravaged the land centuries ago had been told to him since he was a small child, much to the dismay of Naomi. She had then made certain he knew the true facts about former humans, not the trumped-up tales the rest of the staff relayed to him.

Humans were never meant to become vampires. Their biological makeup couldn't handle the conversion into vampirism and eventually became unstable, succumbing to their bloodlust. They went mad. After falling into insanity, former humans cared for nothing but blood, murdering people brutally and indiscriminately. Ichiru had heard enough scary stories and had enough nightmares to realise former humans were bad news. Facing one in real life, however, was a completely different experience.

While his brain was screaming at him to run, Ichiru remained frozen to the spot, his eyes fixated on Kiryu. This couldn't be happening... it just couldn't. Out of all the diagnosis Ichiru had considered to explain the earl's condition, this one had never crossed his mind. No, the creation of former humans had been outlawed at the end of the Great War. No one would have expected this.

"L-lord Kiryu..." Ichiru stammered quietly despite everything in his being telling him to remain quiet, bringing his hands to his mouth in fear. "You're a... you're a..."

Kiryu wrenched his eyes open and turned his head sharply to glare at the intruder on his misery. His normally pale eyes were a glowing blood red, an obvious sign of hunger. The servant took a step back in fright. "I thought I told you to stay away from me," the aristocrat growled, struggling to his feet.

Taking another step backwards, Ichiru stuttered,"I-I kn-know, but I was... was w-w-worried 'bout ya s-so I... so I..."

"So you thought it would be all right to disobey an order from one of higher class?" the nobleman snarled furiously, his gleaming scarlet eyes boring into Ichiru's very soul. His fangs were still bared, glinting in the half light. The frightened human could very nearly feel those monstrous teeth tearing into his flesh, the earl's lips and tongue caressing the wound as he drained every last drop of blood from his body...

"N-no," Ichiru answered, his voice quavering and high-pitched in fear. "I just... I just thought..."

"You just _thought_?!" Grabbing the other young man by the throat, Kiryu hoisted Ichiru into the air as though he weighed nothing at all and slammed him into a bedpost. Tightening his grip on the servant's throat, the hunter barked, "You weren't thinking at all! Did you ever _once_ consider that I had an excellent reason to tell you to stay away from me?! No! You believed you could do whatever the hell you wanted! You are the most spoiled servant I've ever met!"

Grasping desperately at the long fingers around his throat, Ichiru attempted to gasp out an apology as the nobleman crushed his windpipe, tears brimming with tears. When his voice refused to work, the human begged the earl to cease mentally. _Please, Kiryu, stop this! Please, I can't breathe! I don't want to die. I really don't... _Tears began to roll silently down his cheeks.

Roaring in anger, the nobleman tossed the other young man to the side as though he were a nothing but a ragdoll. Ichiru crashed into a full-length mirror which hung on the wall at the end of the large bed, shattering it on impact. He slid down it, crumpling uselessly onto the floor. The blow had made his vision go out of focus, the room before him becoming blurry and dark. No! He mustn't lose consciousness! Especially not here, where a insane vampire was about to devour him. Even so, his head hurt so badly and he suddenly felt so tired... Reaching around, Ichiru lightly touched where his head had hit the mirror and winced. He brought his hand back in front of his face and saw the tips of his fingers were covered in blood. Not good. Very not good.

Lifting his head, the human saw the vampire hunter had noticed the blood as well. The once-human aristocrat stared, transfixed, at the thick scarlet liquid coating Ichiru's fingers. Then, his garnet eyes flickered to the blood on the mirror before falling back on the servant. He appeared absolutely ravenous.

It took several moments for Ichiru to register the situation, the blow to his head slowing his comprehension. Finally realising his life was in immediate danger, he chose the most ineffective response possible. Gazing beseechingly at the noble, he mumbled, "Kiryu... please..." He didn't know what he had hope to do. Perhaps he was trying to appeal to the earl's human side. However, it seemed that side was far gone at the moment.

His lips curling again, Kiryu let out a feral growl and lunged towards Ichiru, who moved surprisingly quick for someone knocked half-unconscious. Scurrying away from the mirror, Ichiru pulled himself to his feet with the assistance of the wall and backed towards the door, never taking his eyes off the earl. He stumbled ever once in a while, still woozy, but he never once let his guard down. "Kiryu..." he repeated, slurring the word a bit, "It's me... It's Ichiru... Please, just let me go... I'll leave ya alone, just let me go... Let me go..."

Kiryu shook his head but said nothing. He stalked slowly towards Ichiru, like a predator stalking its wounded and defenceless prey. Hand still on the door frame, Ichiru made note of the fact that he should run but he couldn't see where. He'd never make it out of the suite in time. The blow to his head had made him disoriented and besides, vampire speed far surpassed that of his measly human form. He was done for.

Once more, the earl pounced towards the servant, who did not try to evade him this time. Within a blink of an eye, Kiryu had Ichiru pinned against the wall, capturing the human boy in a position that was familiar to them both but now took on a whole new meaning. The former human wasted no time going for Ichiru's neck, running his tongue along a particularly thick vein. The sensation made shivers down the servant's spine. Here he had thought the feeling of this man's tongue in his mouth was disgusting... Ichiru didn't have much time to linger on this, however. The very next moment, a pair of dangerously sharp fangs sank into the soft flesh of his neck, making him cry out.

"Ah! No! Kiryu, stop this! Stop this right now! God dammit..." Unable to hold back the tears that had returned to his eyes, Ichiru began to struggle, twisting and writhing in a frantic effort to escape the blue blood's grasp. With every mouthful of blood Kiryu consumed, however, the young man felt that much more of strength draining away from him. Still, he screamed and squirmed, keeping in mind that he had no desire to die right now. Yet soon, he discovered it was too late for him.

He had been bled too much. Darkness was infringing on his vision and the realisation fell over him that he was going to die. He had never found out anything about his family. He was going to die without ever knowing who he truly was. The one consolation he could think of was that if his parents were already dead, he would rejoin them soon.

A little smile played on Ichiru's lips before the world went black.


	6. Out on the Town

_*A/N: W00T! New chapter! I had planned to get this out before school started but that sort of, um failed? XD; Hey! I've been working like hell on this chapter and the one that's coming shortly (I had to split this chapter into two, thus you get two chapters at once). Have you ever spent over twenty-four hours with the same people in your head? Trust me, it can get rather tiresome. *Found, for the first time, that Ichiru actually annoyed her in overly large doses* That apparently signifies the end of the world, according to all the friends I talked to today. I'm finally a senior. BTW. With easy ass classes, too! And in roughly six months, it'll be actually __**legal **__for me to read/buy the stuff I already read/write XD; Well, anyway, enjoy these next two chapters!*_

**Chapter Six****  
Out on the Town**

Ichiru stared impassively at his pale reflection in the dingy mirror in the male bathroom of the servants' quarters, fingertips ghosting over the fresh bandages wound around his neck. Even two weeks after the fact, the sight of his injuries frightened him, causing him to relive the night he had very nearly lost his life. To a vampire, no less. Suddenly, it was like the orphanage all over again. He felt threatened in his own home. He was even beginning to shut down again. He could sense it. Emotions were becoming harder and harder to access. It was the safety mechanism he had used as a child when things would become to difficult to deal with. However, this time he was fighting against it. He had no desire whatsoever to go back to feeling nothing.

His lilac eyes shifted to the bloodied bandages he had draped over the sink. The bite marks in his neck had still yet to heal completely. Every now and then, they would reopen and begin bleeding anew, much to the annoyance of the rest of the staff. Naomi had explained to him that this was because the earl had pierced him quite deeply and had clearly shown inexperience when it came to biting, evident in the tears around the puncture wounds. To Ichiru, all that meant was, until his wounds heal, he would be in near constant danger. So this is what it meant to be a human living amidst a virtual hive of vampires. The young man finally realized what he was to those he considered friends. It was unnerving how whenever his injury began bleeding again, all eyes would flash red and snap towards him. This was the same reaction he received when he hurt himself on the job but it wasn't until recently that it disturbed him, for now he understood what that look meant. It was the same look he got whenever he passed the pie shop whenever he chanced into town. He was nothing but a cottage pie to his comrades, warm food ripe for devouring whole. This realization stung worse than his nigh constantly throbbing neck.

A knock on the washing room door caused him to jump, having been pulled sharply from his reverie, and Maria's sweet voice flitted in from the other side. "Ichiru? Are you all right?" The small girl sounded worried.

Blinking the sudden rise of salt water out of his eyes, Ichiru forced a wavering smile and croaked out, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out inna moment."

From the way the boy could sense Maria still hovering outside the door, the vampire girl was less than certain. "...Well, all right then," she said slowly. "However, Naomi says to hurry up. She doesn't want you out too late!" There was a large, unspoken "and neither do I" at the end of Maria's last statement, nearly making Ichiru cringe. He failed to understand how these people could act so kindly towards him, even after their whole façade had been blown wide open. It seemed so... hypocritical. However, if that was the case, then he was a hypocrite as well, putting on the mask of a collected adult while he was quivering on the inside like a frightened child.

"Tell Naomi I'll be out soon," Ichiru called to Maria, whom he heard scurry away. Alone at last , he reached for the leather thong sitting behind the pewter faucet and picked it up before proceeding to tie it to his silvery hair as he did each and every morning before setting to work. He then gazed at his reflection once more, frowning as he did so. Was it just him or did he look thinner? He was definitely paler... Shaking his head, the young human adjusted the high collar of his shirt so it would more effectively conceal his bandages. He hated it when people stared at his neck.

After he finished primping himself (and taking his sweet time doing so) Ichiru took a deep, steadying breath and and exited the small room. That was when he found Maria leaning against the wall opposite of the washroom , gnawing on her bottom lip. The petite female started when she saw her friend was suddenly standing in front of her. Ichiru, too, appeared shocked, although it was for entirely different reason. His fight or flight response had been enacted, his body remaining frozen to the spot as his mind was torn between the two options. After he sluggishly recalled Maria was a friend, he felt terribly ashamed of himself. There was no reason to be frightened of Maria, regardless of her race.

Maria was feeling ashamed as well, for she had sensed the human's fear and felt terrible for being the cause of it. The earl had really done a number on him if the fevered nightmares during the three days the boy had spent unconscious had anything to say.

A few awkward moments passed as the two adolescents resolutely stared at anything but each other. Finally, colour high in his cheeks, Ichiru mumbled, "Naomi wants me," and hurried away without once glancing back.

Maria, who was also blushing, nodded and muttered, "Yes..." both too late for her friend to notice. Not that it mattered. Both were worthless gestures in any case.

Naomi could be seen standing near the staircase leading out of the servants' quarters, a brown coat and hunter green scarf draped over her right arm. The maid was looking distinctly unhappy, her thin lips pursed in obvious displeasure. The expression on the elder servant's face made Ichiru feel terribly guilty, even though he had technically done nothing wrong, and he bowed his head as he approached her, trying to appear as apologetic as possible. Although the human servant had done nothing to upset Naomi himself, what he had been ordered to do infuriated the vampire woman. The boy was to travel into the nearest town on some convoluted errand apparently only he could carry out. This outraged Naomi. In her personal opinion, this was the absolute worst time to send Ichiru away from the safe bosom of the manor, what with all the gruesome murders of humans occurring in the capitol and the boy was still recovering from his traumatic experience. She didn't feel right about sending Ichiru off to a place where he wouldn't be protected. However, it was the lady's orders. Naomi couldn't go against those.

When Ichiru reached her, the vampire maid held out the coat and scarf before proceeding to give the human boy her usual lecture, the one she always gave the younger servants when ever they happened to venture away from the manor.

"Don't deviate from your assignment. Do what you have to do and come straight home!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't stray from the main streets. Stay in well-lit places and where a lot of people are. Don't you get caught by yourself. I don't care how strong you think you are, you'll never stand a chance against somethin' hell-bent on killin' you. That goes double for you, boy! You're specially fragile."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't you dare go talkin' to strangers! Same thin' for preformin' random acts of kindness! I know you're a nice kid and all but Lord help me, one of these days being too nice is gonna get you killed!"

Naomi suddenly stopped as Ichiru's hand instinctively went for his neck. The scarf he had wrapped around it efficaciously hid the bandages but it couldn't cover the emotional scars nor the memories that came with them. Sighing, Naomi stepped closer to the human servant and threw her arms around his neck, pulling the boy down a bit to give him a proper hug. Ichiru had grown quite a bit in the past few years. "Just be safe, alright?" she murmured gently in his ear.

Ichiru, who had tensed up when the vampire woman embraced him, nodded stiffly. "A-alright, Naomi," he stammered, every fibre of his being screaming at him to flee. "I'll be safe. I promise."

Smiling softly, Naomi gave her ward one last squeeze and patted him on the back before releasing him. "Alright then," she said, brushing off the younger servant's coat and adjusting it for no particular reason. "Off you go!"

Nodding, Ichiru brushed passed the head maid hurriedly, making his way towards the staircase. He barely reached the first step, however, when he was called back by Maria, her small form dashing towards the human boy with something clutched in her hand. Reaching Ichiru, she handed him a brown newsboy cap that looked like it had been through quite a bit of wear.

"You forgot your hat," Maria stated matter-of-factly as Ichiru took the cap from her.

"Oh... thanks," the human muttered, placing the cap upon his head. He turned to leave once more when Maria called him back again. "What is it _now_, Mar--" Before he could even finish his sentence, however, the smaller adolescent stood on her tiptoes and planted a swift kiss on the taller's cheek, leaving him a bit stunned. "Uh..."

"Good luck, Ichiru!" the petite girl chimed her blue eyes shining as she blushed, gazing unfalteringly up at Ichiru.

Shaking his head, the human servant fought down a blush and came back to himself, his heart racing madly. "I'm just goin' into town , Maria," he muttered, looking resolutely away from his childhood companion and wiping her kiss off his cheek with his coat sleeve. "It en't like I'm searchin' for the Holy Grail or nothin'."

Maria pouted, insulted that her words of encouragement and blatant show of affection had invoked such a reaction from her friend. "Not that you would find it with your luck!" she scoffed, crossing her arms in distemper. "Believe me, you need some well wishing."

Ichiru whipped around, his mouth opened with the intent to counter the girl's slight, when Naomi stepped in.

"That's quite enough of this childish bickerin'!" she snapped decisively, standing in between the two young people with a hand outstretched to each. "Now, you," the elder woman turned to the tiny maid. "I said you could stay and see Ichiru off but now you need to get to the library and start tidyin' up. Now, scoot!"

With a stiff curtsey, Maria dashed off to get a start on her chore, sticking her tongue out at Ichiru as she passed him on the stairs. Ichiru returned the favour before Naomi turned to him.

"Now, you, boy. Get there and back in a timely manner or I'll be sendin' the police out after you!"

Ichiru nodded and muttered, "Yes, ma'am" before rushing off to the front door and the carriage waiting there to take him into town.

As soon as the human vanished from sight, Naomi began to worry. Her baby was rushing into danger again. Sighing, the woman sat down on the nearest bench and rubbed her brow in a tired fashion. It had been years since she had started thinking of Ichiru of her own child. Maria, too. When she had first laid eyes on the two children, she knew that they were something worth protecting. On both accounts, she had thought the exact same thing: _this child needs a mother_. So, she had strived to become a mother figure to them both. Of course, Maria and Ichiru had been entirely different cases. Maria, whose family had so recently fallen from grace, still retained both her parents and dearly missed her mother's warmth. She eagerly accepted the comfort Naomi provided, desperate for a surrogate in the face of her separation from her family. Ichiru, however, was very different.

The boy was completely alone and had been his entire life. He had never known the love of a parent and, given the sort of place he had spent the early years of his life, was extremely wary of the affection Naomi offered him. The human child had shown up at Hio Manor covered in bruises and other injuries, many of which were only half healed, and his shining lilac eyes were devoid of all emotion, nothing but two mirrors reflecting the world around him. This cold demeanour had lasted for two years after Ichiru's arrival effectively distancing everyone from him. The only ones who actively tried to get the boy to open up were Maria and Naomi. Kenta had attempted to do so in the beginning but he found the child creepy and gave up. Even so, the two maids knew they couldn't give up. Coincidentally, it had been Maria whom Ichiru had first spoken to, after the girl had taken up reading the boy bedtime stories. This was what had begun the reading and writing lessons as well as the revelation of Ichiru's real personality.

Naomi sighed again, running her fingers through her brown bangs. That poor boy had been through so much already. No family, no name. There wasn't even someone of his own race in whom he could confide. Ichiru was truly an island unto himself. For years, Naomi had tried to alleviate some of this loneliness the best she could, creating the illusion of humanity amongst the staff and making a safe environment for her human charge. It had worked flawlessly for ten years. To Ichiru, all the facts about vampires brutalizing and feeding on humans, about vampires often starting terrible, bloody wars in the name of power, territory, and prey were nothing but scary stories. That bastard of a earl just had to go and ruin all of that! The man had the nerve to say he cared for Ichiru! Naomi knew that was all a lie. No one would behave that way to someone they cared for.

The point was, however, is that the masquerade had been broken. Ichiru was terrified for his life now that he knew the truth. He may try to act as though everything was perfectly fine but everyone knew better. Vampires were quite adept at detecting fear. The worst part, though, was that Ichiru was beginning to close down emotionally, reverting to the state he had been in when he first arrived there. The boy seemed to realize this as much as Naomi and was desperately trying to fight against it, evident in his little banter with Maria. He may just be going through the motions but at least he was trying. Naomi sincerely hoped he would succeed.

Deciding there were better ways to occupy her time than worrying herself to an early grave, the housemaid rose from the bench and went to join her colleagues for the work day.

* * *

_The cramped room was dark and dank, containing nothing but a metal bed frame supporting a stiff, lumpy mattress against one wall. There wasn't even a window set in to the peeling walls. The one door in the far corner was the only way in or out. There was no escape._

_ Not that he would even try to escape at this point. He had attempted that once. He still had scars from the beatings. No, he wasn't going to try to run again nor was he going to fight back. There was no use. He would just have to get it over with._

_ Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and his customer entered. Like always, there was a stuffed bear under the man's arm. He knew it was for him. The man always presented him with a gift and coddled him before getting down to business. The orphanage's backyard was filled with buried stuffed animals and toys. This one would join the cemetery soon._

_ "Hello, my dear," the man grumbled politely, smirking at him as he sat stolidly on the bed before striding over and handing him the bear. The man then sat beside him on the bed, ruffling his hair and kissing him atop the head. The man's beard tickled his forehead. "I've missed you terribly. Did you miss me?"_

_ "...Yeah." A blatant lie. He didn't like lies but they were the only way to survive. Besides, he was too numb to put up too much of a fuss._

_ The man smirked, visibly pleased, and continued petting him. "Good boy," the man murmured. "Now do you know what you can do to show me how much you missed me." The gentleman's voice was one of mock tenderness, a pair of cold green eyes glittering suggestively as they remained transfixed on his small form._

_ "...Yeah." He set the bear to the side and slid off the bed, turning his attention to the man's pants. They were expensive, he knew that much, but that was none of his concern. Taking a deep, shaking breath, he reached towards the black material with his small hands and proceeded to tug at the fabric, trying to pull the man's pants down his hips. The man wasn't wearing underwear. The man never did when he came to see him. _

_ He stared a bit apprehensively at the man's stiff member. He had done this may times in the past but each and every time, he hesitated. He knew this was wrong but he also knew that if he didn't please the customer, he wouldn't get to eat. So, edging between the man's legs, he bent down and pressed his lips to the base of the man's length._

_ "Mm, you're such a good boy," the man rumbled, still stroking his hair as he mover his mouth closer and closer to the weeping tip of the man's arousal. "I cannot wait until you grow up. I wait with baited breath to be able to bury myself in that soft young body..."_

_ He faltered for a moment but continued his ministrations. He hoped the man would stop talking now and let him finish his work. However, the man had one more thing _

_ "Remember to swallow. Last time, you seem to have forgotten."_

Ichiru woke with a start as the carriage trundled over a rather sizeable bump. For a few moments, he couldn't quite recall where he was, glancing around the carriage's interior to get some sort of bearing on his location. When he finally realised he was in one of Lady Shizuka's carriages, he slumped back on the red seat and sighed in relief. He brought a trembling hand to his lips and traced them slowly, a bad taste still lingering in his mouth. It had been so long since he had dreamt of his time at St. Lukia's Orphanage. The nightmares had been a frequent occurrence when he had been a child, the memories still being fresh. However, as the years went by, he had them less often until he didn't have them at all, the unpleasant memories being replaced with happier ones. The episode with Kiryu must have reawaken them.

Sighing, the young man shifted in his seat and and gazed out the carriage window, watching as the scenery flew by. They were approaching town. If he peered hard enough through the mist, he could almost see the squat buildings. Gnawing on his bottom lip, Ichiru wondered longingly whether or not he would have enough money left over to buy a meat pie or perhaps some sort of pastry. There was an excellent bakery in town and they made the absolutely best Danishes. He was practically drooling at the mere thought of them. Who could blame him? He was a healthy adolescent boy (well, now anyway) and definitely possessed the appetite of one. Besides, those pastries were good.

He kicked himself for not bringing his own money. The boy had ten years worth of wages stored in a secret compartment in the wardrobe in his room. He was the only servant in the Hio Manor who didn't spend any of the money he earned. Why would he? He had no family to support, not like Naomi or Maria, and he had no life besides the manor. Sure, he probably had enough now to leave and set out on his own but again, why would he? There was a time when he had toyed with the idea of hiring a private detective to search for his parents but he hesitated. He really wanted to do it himself. It was his family after all.

Finally, after two hours of travel, the carriage pulled up in front of the designated shop, the one of a renowned mask maker. Apparently, this was the man all the nobles went to to create their mask for the royal family's masquerade ball. At least, that was what Lady Shizuka had said, but Ichiru was skeptical, raising an eyebrow as he stepped out of the carriage. It was a dumpy, rather unassuming building with a large, faded sign overhead that read, in peeling gold letters, _le Masque_. Ichiru frowned. Besides the name, which he suspected was French, the place didn't seem that impressive. However, this was where his mistress had directed him so this is where e was supposed to be.

Taking a deep breath. Ichiru strode into the shop. The chiming of bells announced his entrance into the front room, his boot stirring up dust as he set it cautiously on the grimy floor. The entire store appeared to be in a perpetual stage of decay. Dirt and dust coated every surface, the wallpaper was peeling, cobwebs occupied every corner, and the was the faintest scent of rotted wood, giving the place a distinctly abandoned feel. The only thing that seemed new and clean were the myriad of masks adorning the wall and the dusty counter with the glass front. Each piece was certainly exquisite, a masterpiece sculpted from plaster and fabric, feathers, jewels, and precious metals. The literal plethora of colours and glittering gems did nothing to brighten the shop, however. In all honesty, Ichiru found it a bit creepy, like the masks were all staring at him through their empty eye holes. It reminded him of all those stories he had read or heard about fantastic shops and his gut insisted, quite fervently, that he rush back to the safety of the carriage outside. He was nearly obliged to obey, recalling how wonderfully ignoring his instinct had turned out for him last time. Even so, he swallowed his fear and stepped up to the counter. Lady Shizuka had sent him here after all. She would send him anywhere dangerous. Would she?

Ichiru gulped nervously and took several deep, steadying breaths before reaching a quivering hand towards the service bell. Bracing himself, he quickly tapped it, he the harsh chime making him wince as it broke the stillness of the store. The human held his breath as he waited for something to happen. Perhaps the Angel of Death himself would come swooping out of the back room, demanding his soul. This thought frightened him and he quickly made the Sign of the Cross over himself. Still, he waited with baited breath as the seconds ticked by, made more pronounced by the ticking clock on the wall. Those seconds turned into a minute which bred another minute until...

Nothing happened.

This complete lack of any sort of occurrence left Ichiru baffled. Everything in his being told him something should have happened, that his ringing of the bell should have awakened a horrible demon or some vengeful spirit or something of the like. The fact that it had not confused him greatly, leaving a bot of him disappointed. He had sort of hoped something interesting would happen. For this, he mentally slapped himself. His life had been much too interesting as of late and look what it had made him. A paranoid mess haunted by nightmares of his childhood and being devoured by mad vampires. Even so, he did need _something_ to happen, and so he rang the bell again.

"All right, all right! I'm coming already! Quit ringing that damned bell!" a hoarse voice called from the back room, shortly followed by a shuffling sound a rather elderly man bursting through the tattered green curtain. The man was as decrepit as his shop. His bald head was dotted with liver spots and pure white hair stuck out in uneven tufts around his ears, forehead, and mouth. He walked with a pronounced stoop and seemed to be constantly twisting his wrinkled, spotted hands, muttering something incoherent under his breath. When he made it to the counter, he reached into his breast pocket, still muttering to himself, and extracted a monocle on a golden chain. He then fixed the eyepiece to his dark left eye and glared at Ichiru murderously with it. The old man's right eye was coated in a milky blue film, indicating blindness.

_The eye of a vulture_, Ichiru thought, recalling _The Tell Tale Heart_.

"Well? What do you want?" the man with the dead eye snapped impatiently in a wheezy voice, his good eye still piercing the boy with its sharp depths.

"Huh? Oh, um..." Ichiru began hesitantly. The shop owner frightened him almost as much as the shop itself. "Er... I've b-been sent b-by Lady Shizuka t'... uh... p-pick up h-h-her order."

For a few moments, the man simply stared at Ichiru, not in the impatient, ill-tempered way he had before but as though he was trying to recall something. After a while, just when the servant was starting to feel more than a bit uncomfortable with being stared at so much, the shopkeeper asked quietly, "What's your name, son?"

"I-Ichiru?" answered Ichiru uncertainly, his voice cracking a bit.

"Hm..." The man continued to stare at the boy, stroking his bearded chin with a grizzled hand. "You look a lot like a former customer of mine. He had that same distinctive colouring." He pointed a gnarled finger at Ichiru, indicating his silver hair.

His skittish mood being suddenly encroached upon with a twinge of irritability, Ichiru scowled. "This customer en't a earl, is he?" he grumbled, his mind flashing to a certain bothersome nobleman who shared his hair colour.

"Yes, he was, I believe," replied the man. "Kiryu, I think was his name. Died a few years ago, though. He and his wife were brutally murdered. Tragic, very tragic. He was a good man..." The elderly shopkeeper seemed lost in his thoughts, his good eye glassing over as he gazed off into the distance. A few moments later, he came back to himself, shaking his head. "Anyway, he mentioned having a son who would be about your age now. Could this be you?"

Ichiru shook his head. "No, sir. I en't got no family. Never did."

"Ah... Well, you bear a strong resemblance, in any case," stated the old man firmly. "Should have guessed you were no nobleman's son, what, with that accent of yours and whatnot."

Ichiru flushed angrily at these words. He sometimes hated the way people could be judged in this country simply by their accents. Yes, he spoke with an accent indicative of people from poorer regions. So what? That was no reason to look down on him! Besides, his was no worse than Kenta's, which was distinct to the highlands. Everyone knew what kind of people _they_ were. Even the cook himself had confirmed many of aspects of the stereotypical highlander were quite accurate.

The old man, however, took no notice of the boy's indignation and instead, crouched down and begun rummaging for something behind the part of the counter that didn't have a glass front, having resumed mumbling to himself. After a bit, he re-emerged and placed two handsome red leather boxes on the counter. "There we go," he wheezed, stroking the top box lovingly. "Two custom-ordered masques for the lady. Do give her my regards when you return."

Nodding to indicate he would, Ichiru reached in his pocket and extracted a wallet that he handed to the man. As he did so, the aged man promptly snatched his hand, doing so so suddenly Ichiru cried out and dropped the wallet, making a light _thump _as it landed. His heart racing madly, Ichiru moved his wide-eyed stare from the clasped hands to the old man who, once again, failed to notice him. In fact, the ancient being seemed generally lost to the world at the moment. His good eye rolled back into his head, meaning it now was almost a perfect match to his blind eye, and he was trembling slightly as he muttered something foreign in his hoarse, wheezy voice. He squeezed Ichiru's hand tighter, making the boy wince. The man was strong for his age. However, there were stranger things at work than the old man's unusual strength.

Terrified, Ichiru attempted to wrench his hand from the seemingly possessed shopkeeper's grasp but to no avail. He was trapped.

* * *

Shizuka Hio glanced lazily at the gilded invitation in her hand, turning it over and over as she sat in what had formerly been her father's study. It had remained mostly untouched since the wretched man's death (which Shizuka may or mat not have played a part in), merely standing as something of a memorial to the late Hayato Hio. However, the man's only daughter still used it as a refuge when she couldn't stand to be in her own room, specifically after he dreadful fiancé took his leave.

The pureblood woman scowled as she held the parchment invitation over the open flame of one of the many pure white candles occupying the room. Must all the men in her life be abusive bastards? That have been one of the reasons her father had pushed so hard for her engagement to Rido Kuran: the prince reminded the narcissist of himself. Of course, there was the whole royalty thing as well, and Hayato, being the greedy devil that he was, thought marrying his family into the Kuran family was simply a novel idea. However, for all his misdeeds and evil-doings, the old man could not have possibly conceived what his beloved future son-in-law was planning. He would have supported the monster, though. There was no doubt about that.

Lost in her dark thoughts, Shizuka watched pensively as the invitation burned away in her delicate hand. She didn't even notice the flames were beginning to merrily lick her fingertips until Rin, who was standing by as still and silent as a statue, coughed, bringing the lady back to herself.

Growling softly, the pureblood woman quickly staunch the the flame by fisting the last burning remains of the invitation. The burns her palm and fingers received would heal quickly enough. Shaking the ashes from her hand, she murmured sharply, "What is it, Rin?"

"Milady, if you pardon my rudeness, I disapprove greatly of your decision to send the human to the mask maker," the dark servant replied. "Any other servant would have been just as suited to pick up you orde--"

"Ichiru needed to see him," interjected Shizuka, examining her perfectly manicured nails in a bored fashion. "Besides, it's too late; he's already been acquainted." She continued to study her nails for several moments before regarding her faithful, if not disgruntled, manservant with a mischievous smirk. "You don't approve of a lot of the decisions I make when it comes to Ichiru, do you?"

Rin wrinkled his hooked nose and shifted himself into a more rigid stance, his dark eyes screwed shut. "I disapprove of you treating the human as though he were special, milady."

Shizuka's smirk just deepened at these words. Sliding her feet of the desk where they had been resting and tucking them neatly underneath, she turned to face her butler and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers. "What you fail to realise, my dear Rin, is that boy is very special." the duchess murmured, still grinning. "Both he and Zero are incredibly special. In fact, they may just be the most special people who ever existed."

The vampire servant sniffed. "Why? Because they are twins?" he said incredulously.

"That has something to do with it, yes," Shizuka admitted, "However, that is by far not the only reason."

"What other reasons could there be, milady?" Rin demanded as politely as possible.

The lady did not answer at first. She merely gazed disappointedly at her harried steward, a slight frown tugging at her rose petal lips. Rin wasn't playing along with her and that was no fun. He was on her side, that much was true, but he adamantly refused to believe there was anything extraordinary about Ichiru, even though all the others in the household could sense it. The butler thought that if Shizuka didn't plan on turning the boy, then he should be used as sustenance. That, however, would not do at all. "Have you not paid attention to the legends at all?" Shizuka asked of Rin, sounding quite serious.

"I think you and Lord Rido put to much stock in those legends, milady," the servant answered.

"Oh, but they're entirely true." Shizuka shifted her position so that she now rested her chin in the palm of her right hand, her left laying flat on the desk. The woman was smiling again. "Each of the twins holds miraculous powers in their blood as individuals. However, since they are two halves of a whole, that power is exponentially increased when they are together. Of course, this increase in power is directly linked to their relationship with one another. For example, right now there would be very little increase in power since they are still very much estranged. That and while Zero has, from what I've heard, become quite powerful, Ichiru's power remains dormant. They're 'out of sync', you could say."

Rin mulled this over for a little while. "So, basically you're telling me that the extent of the twins' power depends on their synchronisation with one another," he repeated for confirmation, sounding dubious.

"And, coincidentally, so does the fate of the world," Shizuka confirmed, nodding. "Of course, this wouldn't have been a problem if they had remained ignorant of each other's existence, but there's no helping that now. As long as Ichiru continues to not realise what Zero is to him, we should be fine."

Blinking, Rin said, "But His Majesty himself sent Lord Zero here! Surely he must have known--"

"Yes, yes! Of course, Haruka knows!" laughed Shizuka, seeming nearly beside herself with laughter. The servant was at a loss for his mistress' mirth until the pureblood caught her breath enough to explain. "Good Lord, Rin! Did you think that just because my vile fiancé wishes to use the twins' power for evil that's all they're capable of? Oh no! Zero and Ichiru have an endless amount of possibilities at their fingertips! Just as Rido aims to bring the world back to the dark ages of chaos and bloodshed, rising up as the Dark Prince himself, Haruka hopes to bring about an era of peace and coexistence. Do you see now?"

The manservant nodded slowly, understanding but now quite curious. His lady had explained the king's goal that of his brother's, which Rn had already known about in any case, but then... "Milady, what are _your_ aims regarding the twins?"

Shizuka did not answer. She turned away from her servant and began to observe the flickering of a candle flame much more intently than it deserved, the warm glow softly illuminating her divine features. There was a wistful sorrow in her lonely sapphire eyes, an expression that pierced Rin directly to his heart, causing it to feel heavy with a sadness that wasn't his. It was easy to forget with the strong, confident way this woman carried herself what a broken bird she was. The pureblood lady's life had been filled with so much pain and suffering, suffering that she didn't deserve. An emotionally abusive father, a physically abusive betrothed, a perpetually absent mother, and forced isolation from the world at a very early age were only some of tortures the vampiress Shizuka Hio had had to face. The one bright spot in a life of darkness had been the woman's lover, a young human who she had turned so that they may have remained together for the rest of eternity. He, too, had been taken from her and she had been plunged into the darkness yet again.

Fearing he had tread on a delicate subject, Rin quickly made to apologise. "Milady, my sincerest apologies. I did not mean t--"

Shizuka held up a hand, indicating for the other vampire to stop. "It's quite all right, Rin," she said, not sounding all right in the least. "However, I believe I have said enough for today. Leave me."

Although he hesitated, feeling his lady still needed him, Rin obliged and bowed out of the study, leaving Shizuka to her solitude.

* * *

Just as the boy felt certain something absolutely terrible was going to happen, the aged man released Ichiru's hand and seemed to come back to himself, shaking his head with a great "harrumph!". He then lifted his gaze to Ichiru, who was clutching his hand to his chest and was staring at the man as though he had suddenly grown a second head, an amused expression twinkling in his good eye as he beheld the servant. "You're quite the extraordinary human being, you know that?" the shopkeeper chuckled.

"Wha...?" Ichiru said slowly, furrowing his brow in puzzlement. What in Heaven's name had just happened? Why was everything suddenly normal? Or seemingly normal anyway.

Still chuckling, the old man opened the wallet Ichiru had dropped and began pulling out bills from within it, counting out the price for the masks. "Your lowly station belittles you, son," he replied. "You have a great destiny ahead of you. A virtual rags to riches to something much greater story. Ha! And here I thought you were nothing but a dim-witted servant boy from the wrong bit of the country. Shows how wrong I was!"

"Hey!" snapped Ichiru indignantly, bunching his hands into fists. This man just called him stupid! That wasn't fair! He may not be as clever as Maria or anyone else who was lucky enough to receive a formal education, but he was by no means an idiot. He knew that five multiplied by three was fifteen and that one should never trust a vampire that used to be human . "I en't stupid! I--" He never got to finish defending himself, however, as the ancient shopkeeper hand concluded counting the money and was depositing the price into the cash register.

"There," he wheezed, pushing the boxes towards Ichiru, the wallet resting atop them. When Ichiru picked up the wallet and began rifling through it, the man added, "I gave you a bit of a discount for being interesting. There's just enough there for a little treat. May I recommend an éclair from Antique Bakery? They're heavenly." The mask maker offered the boy a knowing wink and one last chuckle.

Begrudgingly grumbling his thanks, Ichiru scooped the boxes into his arms and made to leave the shop as quickly as he could without seeming rude. However, he barely made it to the door when the man's coughing made him turn back. "What was that, sir?" he asked quietly.

"I have one last thing to say before you disappear forever," the elderly man said softly.

Ichiru hesitated a moment but then turned to face the man, his curiosity piqued. He waited while the shop owner looked critically over him with his right eye, his previously entertained demeanour changing to one that was slightly sad.

"The world is full of masques, Ichiru," the ancient mask maker said slowly, almost deliberately. "What's important is finding out what lies beneath."

The servant boy stood there for a moment, trying to decipher exactly why the senior had told him this. He made to ask on this point, but the shopkeeper was already shuffling away, returning to the back room from whence he came. Ichiru stood there for a while longer, blinking in befuddlement. Well, that was certainly not what he had expected when he had first stepped into the shop. Figuring there was no longer a reason for him to be there, the servant left the store.

Stepping outside, Ichiru breathed in the cool night air as deeply as he could, feeling extremely grateful to be out of that strange place. He then sighed in relief, his warm breath rising in a transparent little cloud in front of his face, and tilted his head back to lift his gaze to the sky, admiring the celestial bodies hanging there. It was the first clear night in weeks, the coruscant stars and the cool face of the waxing moon clearly visible against the black silk for probably the last time that season. All signs pointed towards snow arriving in a few days. Ichiru frowned. He hated the snow.

Lowering his eyes to the street, the young boy sighed again. Why did it have to snow? The logical answer was because it was nearly winter, which begged the question: Why did it have to be winter? If Ichiru had it his way, it would never snow. He sometimes would imagine he could control the weather and make so it would never snow and it was never winter or that he lived on a tropical island where it was always warm and full of life. However, until he gained the ability to manipulate the weather or moved to said tropical island, he would just have to be resigned to the fact he lived in a place that experienced cold, snowy weather.

Ichiru shook himself from his resentful thoughts and strode towards the carriage, opening the door and placing the boxes on one of the red seats. He then took the wallet from atop the boxes and replaced it in his coat pocket before closing the door and turning to the driver. "I en't ready to go right yet," he informed the other man with a small smile. "There's some money left over, an' I wanna get somethin' from the bakery. Ya want anythin'?"

The driver shook his head, to which Ichiru shrugged.

"Your loss. Anyways, I en't gonna be long. See ya." He waved nonchalantly to the driver as he began to walk away. He barely made it five steps when he was suddenly yanked back. His immediate response to panic, Ichiru whipped around to stare wide-eyed at the vampire, who had him tightly by the arm.

"I will escort you there," the driver insisted, looking quite gravely at Ichiru. In the moment of silence that followed, the pair of dark brown horses beside them snorted and fidgeted.

"N-no, that's alright," Ichiru stammered, trying to compose himself. "It en't very far. Just down the street."

"Ms. Watanabe specifically instructed me to keep an eye on you," the driver pressed. "Especially in your... fragile state."

This last statement made Ichiru angry, which he was quickly beginning to realise was a fair antidote to fear. Wrenching his arm out of the older man's grasp, the human spun around and snapped, "I don' care what Naomi said! It en't that far, and I can take of myself! I en't a baby!" With these words, Ichiru stormed away down the dark street. He was sick of being treated like a child. He was seventeen, God damn it! In half a year, he would be eighteen and legally an adult. It was time he should be treated like one. It wasn't fair. Neither was the way everyone treated him like he was some delicate, fragile thing. He may not be as strong as a vampire, but he wasn't exactly weak either. Besides, it wasn't as if he fell ill all the time any more. He didn't need constant looking after. He had survived a vampire attack all by himself, after all! Perhaps he was made of stronger stuff than everyone assumed.

Shivering a bit, Ichiru wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he quickened his pace. Damn, it was cold. Had it been this cold earlier? He was almost certain the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the last minute. This was one of the reasons he hated winter. However, there was one other thing that was causing him to shiver. He kept getting the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

Ichiru spun around at this thought, scanning the dark street and sorely wishing he had better night vision. Perhaps the driver had followed him after all. Seeing no one around, he began stumbling backwards, feeling more unnerved than ever. Something was here, he could sense it. He couldn't tell what it was but he figured that if it was out this late at night, it couldn't be anything good.

"H-hello?" he cried anxiously. "Is... is anyone there?" He knew it was stupid, but perhaps if he called whatever it was out and acknowledged he knew he was being watched, then it would leave it alone or show itself. At least then he would know how to defend himself.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his neck. He swore, clapping his hand to the area where it hurt. This could only mean on thing: his wound had reopened. Shit. This could not be happening. Not now. Not here. Although, when he thought about it, it was probably safer for it to happen here than it was back at the manor. However, since he could still feel the presence of something else in the area, this thought was not all that comforting.

Just then, there was a shuffling sound coming from one of the rooftops. Ichiru whipped around and gazed intently at the roofs of the the surrounding buildings. This was not good. This was very not good. This was bad.

His heart thudding wildly, the young human made to run away, to sprint back to the carriage as fast as he possibly could, but he never got the chance. He had barely taken two steps when something large and heavy pounced on him. Acting purely on instinct, Ichiru elbowed whatever had jumped on him in the ribs as hard as he possibly could. It screeched and released him. Panting, he scrambled to his feet and raced away. He searched frantically for a place to hide. He would never make it back to the carriage before the thing attacked him again.

A horrible growl sounded behind him. Knowing it was probably the stupidest on earth to do, Ichiru glanced back. In the split second before it assaulted him once more, he got a good look at the creature.

It was terrible. The way it looked, the way it moved, ever the way it _smelled_. Its clothes were in filthy tatters, its long hair in greasy mats around its sickly face. It appeared as though it had been living on the street for quite some time. Its entire body was covered in dirt and what appeared eerily like dried blood, especially around the gnarled talons it had for nails and its twisted, fanged mouth. Its eyes, crimson red with bloodlust and rolling with madness, regarded him with a hunger so intense Kiryu's couldn't even compare.

_ This_ was what all those horror stories had been about. _This _was a fallen former human.

The vampire gave a feral snarl and lunged towards Ichiru. It dug its claws into his shoulders and pinned him him to the ground. Its putrid breath washing over the young human's face, the vampire growled, "You smell... so good... and I am so hungry... let me... eat you... all of you..." It began to tear, almost desperately, at his scarf in a mad attempt to get at his neck.

_ No... _ In a cruel instance of déjà vu, Ichiru found himself in the exact same position he had been in a fortnight before. There was one crucial difference this time, though. He was smarter for his experience. He had no desire to die. Bringing his legs up, Ichiru kicked the vampire as hard as he could in the stomach, forcing it off of him. Once again, he was on his feet and racing away. He didn't look back this time. He had learned from his mistake. Sprinting into an alleyway off the main street, he made straight for a fence that separated this alley from the next and promptly began to climb it. He could hear a frustrated howl behind him and the scrabbling noises of being followed somehow but still, the boy did not look back. Feeling rather competent and brave, the human swung himself over the top of the fence. However, he did not account for the pile of rubbish collected at the bottom of the other side. Thus, he had to adjust the way he landed, and unfortunately, he landed incorrectly.

A sharp pain shot through his right ankle as it twisted the wrong way. "Ah...!" Letting out a strangled cry, his leg gave out and he collapsed. Damn it! Why did he have to get injured _now_, when it could cost him his life? Maybe Maria was right, and he really did have absolutely no luck.

Rolling over onto his back, Ichiru pulled himself backwards towards the nearest wall and rested against it, moving his leg closer so that he may examine his ankle. It didn't look too bad, only beginning to swell a bit. Perhaps he could still stand on it. Holding his breath, the boy slowly dragged himself up the wall and attempted to put weight in his injured ankle. This experiment failed miserably, and he crumpled again, pain throbbing through his leg. His eyes starting to water, Ichiru quickly glanced around for some sort of weapon. If he could no longer run, he would have to fight.

At that moment, a heart-stopping screech shattered the night, and the fallen vampire reappeared, leering down at his wounded prey from the roof opposite the building against which Ichiru was leaning. His heart pounding so quickly it was barely detectable, Ichiru felt around frantically with his left hand for a weapon while never taking his eyes off the predator. Just as the vampire leapt at him, the human's hand closed around something cold and metal. Within barely a second, the former human was nearly on top of the boy. Ichiru thrust the the cold, metal object through the creature's abdomen as hard as he could.

The beast screamed, and Ichiru kicked it to the opposite side of the alley with his good leg before scurrying away, miraculously managing to bring himself to his feet in order to at least get out of the alleyway. However, the pain became inevitably too much, and he fell, skidding across the street. Flipping over over onto his back again, the hapless servant hauled himself back another foot as he stared fearfully at the vampire as it writhed in agony. It was then that he realised he had stabbed his assailant with a rusty iron poker. The wound was bleeding quite a bit, and the creature was screaming like it was on fire. Ichiru couldn't help but feel a sort of grim satisfaction at this. Maybe he wasn't so helpless after all.

However, the vampire was beginning to to recover. Its shriek had been dialled back to heaving breathing, and it gnashed its yellowing teeth before it yanked the poker from its gut, causing more blood to gush from the hole. Then, it whipped around and fixed its mad red eyes Ichiru, who knew at that point all his efforts had been for naught. He was going to die. No, no, no! He wasn't ready to die! Maybe he could just fight back until the vampire bled to death. Then, the human realised that he would probably tire out before that point or that the creature would heal before it bled out. Either way, he would be dead within a few minutes. Perhaps that night with Kiryu had been a practice run.

Ichiru wasn't particularly eager to witness his own demise, but he couldn't close his eyes or even manage to look away as the vampire stalked towards him, murderous intent obvious in its ravenous eyes. Time seemed to slow down as imminent doom approached the human, every heartbeat, every breath spanning a century. This was it. This was the end. _I'll never see Maria or Lady Shizuka or anyone else ever again. _At this thought, tears escaped Ichiru's eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

The moment the servant had come to terms with his inevitable death, however, was the moment he was saved.

A great black form came swooping down from the heavens like an overgrown bat, landing directly in between Ichiru and the vampire. There was the glint of silver in the moonlight, and Ichiru saw the figure was holding a silver pistol, aimed directly at the feral creature's head.

"You wily beast," the black form growled darkly. "You've been evading us for a quite a while, haven't you?"

"Oh... I wonder..." the vampire heaved, amusement lightly tingeing its guttural voice. "Have you... joined me for supper...?"

The dark figure ignored the creature's words. "Over a dozen murders of young men and women," he continued in a low, irritable voice. "I think it's time your killing spree came to an end, don't you?"

"Who... are you...?" the vampire inquired in a hoarse whisper. "The... Angel of Death... come to free me from this... miserable existence?"

The shadowy form was silent for a moment as though contemplating these words. Then... "I will purge you of your sins."

A single gunshot reverberated through the alleyway and the former human disintegrated into a heap of glittering ashes as fine as silt. For a moment, Ichiru wondered how something so horrible could end up as something so pretty. Then, his chest heaving, the boy brought his eyes from the ashes to his saviour, who still had his back to him. Feeling incredibly relieved, the servant was just about to express his gratitude when the silhouette turned, revealing silver hair and pale amethyst eyes rimmed with red.


	7. Saviours and Snow

_*A/N: DD: I'm so sorry! I know I said last time that I'd have this chapter out soon and I didn't follow through! I ran into a nasty patch of writer's block towards the end, thus the last few pages of this chapter have been rewritten numerous times while I scream about how much I hated Zero and Ichiru (I still love them; they're just so goddamn stubborn!). Hopefully, you like it! My beta/editor-in-chief said it was good but I still have my doubts. I guess I'll just have to wait for what you guys think ^^ By the way, for all the Zero fangirls reading this, the next chappie shall be very Zero-centric. I hope that pleases you!* _

**Chapter Seven**

**Saviours and Snow**

"You!" cried Ichiru indignantly, the relief on his face being replaced by with utter repulsion and contempt.

Earl Zero Kiryu lifted a pale eyebrow in slight incredulity as he stowed the silver pistol in the holster he wore under his inner jacket. "I was expecting something more along the lines of 'thank you, my lord and saviour, please take me now,' but I suppose I should just be grateful you acknowledged me without fleeing in terror," the nobleman stated, flashing Ichiru a knowing smirk. "Although, I must ask: do you get off on placing yourself in life-threatening situations?"

Ignoring this slight and the way Kiryu was observing him as though he were some form of amusement for him, Ichiru shifted his position so that he was kneeling in front the earl instead of laying. He didn't care how submissive it made him look, like a serf kneeling before his lord. It was better than laying down, a much more vulnerable position. "What the hell are ya doin' here?" he snapped, his face contorted into a scowl.

Kiryu shrugged. "I'm a hunter. This is what I do," he answered simply, indicating the pile of ashes behind him. "Besides, I could ask you that very same question."

"I'm here on orders from Lady Shizuka!" spat Ichiru as though the statement made him somehow important.

The already dark aura surrounding the aristocrat suddenly became absolutely ominous at the mention of the pureblood woman's name. His pallid lavender eyes narrowed and grew stormy as he stared at his doppelgänger, his full lips falling into a sincerely disapproving frown. "I swear that damned succubus is trying to get you killed," he murmured darkly, crossing his arms.

"No, she en't!" argued Ichiru, aghast that Kiryu could make such an assumption about the goddess that was Shizuka Hio. "She would never do that! She--"

"Oh, please, Ichiru!" cried Kiryu incredulously, rolling his eyes. "First, she brings you, a human child, into a nest of blood-sucking demons--"

"That was a godsend! Do you have any idea what kinda life I'd been livin' before the lady came along an' got me? Besides, I was totally safe 'til you came along an--"

"My second point. That miserable she-devil knew exactly what I was, and that I was slowly losing control, yet she still placed you in my service--"

"How'd you know she knew? Maybe she had n--"

"Thirdly, she sends you to a place like this without any sort of protectio--"

"I don't need any bloody protection! I was doin' just fine by myself!"

"Enough!" Kiryu was now done with this pointless argument and had no desire to carry it on. He rubbed his temples in exasperation. If the boy simply refused to believe the vampiress would somehow bring him harm, then there was nothing he could do to convince him otherwise at the moment. Lord, this boy was stubborn. With a grim expression, the nobleman wondered sardonically from where Ichiru could have _possibly_ gotten this pigheadedness. After pushing such thoughts from his mind, Kiryu's voice and gaze softened as he said, "What about you? Are you all right?"

Still scowling and feeling even more annoyed than ever, Ichiru barked, "'Course, I'm alright! Look!" He attempted to stand but as soon as he put weight on his injured ankle, he cried out and stumbled forward. He would have fallen flat on his face had Kiryu not been there to catch him.

"Liar," growled the aristocrat as he shifted to support Ichiru's weight against him. "You can't even stand. Besides, I can smell blood. _Your_ blood."

The feeling of the earl's warm breath rushing past his neck ignited a spark of fear in the wounded servant. This man had tried to kill him. He had nearly succeeded as well. That rabid creature that had been after him hardly two minutes before was exactly the same as this irritating person who had him in his grasp now. They were one and the same, right down to the abnormally large, razor-sharp fangs and and the ravenous crimson eyes filled madness brought on by the lust for human blood. How could he end up like this? Escaping one monster only to find himself in the arms of another? He wouldn't have it.

"No!" Ichiru shoved Kiryu away and fell backwards before scrambling away from the aristocrat until his back hit something solid. "Stay away from me! Stay back! Don't ya dare come near me!"

Although Kiryu would never have admitted it were he questioned about the episode later, Ichiru's blatant rejection stung. Had he really frightened the boy that much he was terrified to merely be around him? The obvious answer was yet but it still hurt. Hatred he could contend with, for those feelings could be changed with time. Fear, however, was a much more difficult emotion with which to dispense. It didn't help matters that he was truly sorry for what did the the boy; the guilt had been eating him up since his hasty departure from Hio Manor. Even so, he had a sneaking suspicion that a mere apology wouldn't do the trick. It didn't even sufficiently cover the remorse he felt over the incident. No, it was not nearly enough to convey his feelings. "I would apologise to you about what I did, but I don't think you would think that's enough," he told Ichiru, placing a hand on his hip.

"Good. Apologies don't work on ya anyways," spat Ichiru , narrowing his eyes in an effort to appear more threatening than scared out of his wits, which was what he was. "I wouldn't even accept if if ya did say sorry."

Kiryu gaze amusedly at the young human, his head tilted to the side. Ichiru was adorable when he was trying to be threatening. Obviously, the boy really didn't know how it worked. When one was injured to the point one couldn't stand up, it significantly reduced how frightening one appeared to others. Also, when a human stood against a vampire, there was truly no competition. The hunter would have probably found this situation more humorous if not for past events. That was beside the point, however. The point was Ichiru was vulnerable and needed to be moved out of harm's way as soon as possible.

Moving around to Ichiru's side, Kiryu stooped down and slid one arm under the servant's legs and the other around his back before, despite Ichiru's many thrashing protests, hoisted him into the air.

"Hey! What the hell're ya doin'? I said stay away from me! Put me down right now! Put me down put me down put me down!" cried Ichiru, kicking and pounding on Kiryu's chest with his fists, struggling to get away. What was this man's problem? Did he not get that he wanted nothing to do with him? Why couldn't he take a hint?

"No."

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"You're hurt. You could never make it anywhere on your own. Besides, I want to take a look at your injuries."

Before Ichiru could protest further, Kiryu vaulted to one of the rooftops so suddenly and with such ease the servant boy found himself clinging to the earl's neck for fear of being dropped. What the...? How did Kiryu do that? Was it because he was a vampire? Come to think of it, that one from early seemed to move pretty quickly and lightly but Kiryu was _carrying_ him! Ichiru could only stare at the nobleman in wonderment.

Kiryu, however, did not seem to think his superhuman abilities were so wonderful. He scowled and appeared extremely displeased with himself as he leapt from roof to roof at breakneck speed before jumping from a building to alight in front of a handsome black carriage.

"Wow," breathed Ichiru quietly, feeling a bit windswept. "That was amazin'! How'd ya-- what?" he asked as the nobleman set him on the steps of the carriage with a particularly nasty expression contorting his features.

For a long moment, the earl did not answer the servant, merely glaring at him as though he thought him a complete moron. "I'm not by any means proud of what I am," he finally said in a dark tone, his arms crossed, "nor am I proud of what I can do because of it. I spent four long, painful years fighting what I had become and for good reason. Just look at the pain I caused you! Do you understand? No, I don't think you do. For generations, my family has been noted as premier vampire hunters. Hell, hunters everywhere aspired to be as great as the Kiryus! The point is, I have been trained since birth specifically to kill things like me. Things like me and that beast that tried to eat you earlier. What I am is a disgrace to my family name."

"Oh." Ichiru bowed his head and turned away, flushing a bit. "Don't stop it from bein' brilliant though."

Pretending he hadn't heard the other young man, Kiryu called to his driver and ordered him to retrieve the first aid kit from the compartment at the back of the carriage. He then turned his attention to Ichiru, kneeling before the servant as he began to remove his shoe and sock.

"Ow! That hurts, stupid!" Ichiru snapped as the blue blood began yanking his thick wool sock none too gently off his foot.

Again, Kiryu ignored him, frowning as he observed the the condition of Ichiru's ankle. It was much more swollen then it had been when the boy had checked it himself. Not only that but it was now an angry black-and-blue colour. The nobleman bit his bottom lip in concern. What the hell had Ichiru been doing? However, as bad as it may have seemed, there was always a chance it was only twisted. So, Kiryu decided to test it. "Does this hurt?" he inquired, bending Ichiru's foot upwards.

"Ouch! Yes! Don't do that!" cried Ichiru angrily, his face flushed with cold and pain as tears welled in his eyes.

"Hm," Kiryu murmured thoughtfully. "I don't believe it's broken. Most likely, it's just sprained. Still, we should wrap it up." He turned and reached for the first aid kit in the hands of his driver, who had been so patiently standing by. Rummaging through it, he extracted a roll of bandages and began to wind it firmly around Ichiru's ankle. He did it with such an attentive tenderness it took the servant aback. So, this person was capable of being a reasonably decent human being. Well, a reasonably decent _former_ human being.

A couple of minutes later, Kiryu finished tending to Ichiru's wound and lifted his gaze. His violet eyes locked with Ichiru's and he suddenly found he couldn't look away. The servant's eyes were brighter than usual and sparkling with tears, probably from the combination of fear, pain, anger, and now embarrassment he had felt in a very short period of time. Kiryu realised at that moment that he adored Ichiru's eyes. They were identical to his in size, shape, and colour but they were so different in the level of the emotion portrayed in their depths. The nobleman had long ago shut the windows to his soul, becoming cold and indifferent with the death of his parents and the events that had followed shortly after. Ichiru's, however... Ichiru's eyes were open and expressive, revealing exactly what he was feeling to the world no matter how hard he tried to hide it. This could be quite the dangerous trait to possess, however to Kiryu, who lived in a world full of masks, it was very refreshing.

"Uh..." Ichiru felt his already warm face grow even warmer, feeling more than just a little awkward in the current situation. He hated the way Kiryu sometimes looked at him like he were the answer to all of his prayers. It made him feel strange, almost fluttery. He was certainly not that special. He didn't care what the mask maker said.

Kiryu chuckled as he took in the servant's attractively flushed face. This person was sometimes too adorable for words. Raising himself just enough to kiss Ichiru lightly on the forehead, he murmured, "You'll need to stay off that ankle for a few days to allow it to heal."

Ichiru, who had winced involuntarily when he felt the other adolescent's lips on his forehead, jerked his head up at these words. "You've gotta be kiddin' me!" he cried indignantly. "I can't do that! I've missed too much work already 'cause of you."

"Well, I'm sorry. That's just how it has to be," Kiryu sniffed, reaching for Ichiru's discarded shoe and sock before replacing them back on his newly bandaged foot. "It won't heal any other way. You've probably done more unnecessary damage by attempting to stand on it earlier."

"Well, I still can't do that," retorted Ichiru shaking his head. "Naomi'll kill me if she figures out I've been hurt again. I'll never be able to leave the manor any more! And give me that! I can at least do that myself!" He snatched his boot away from Kiryu and, muttering something about how he was not a child, started to roughly put it on, causing himself undue pain.

Sighing, Kiryu said, "Ichiru, if you don't rest for a few days, you might end up doing irreparable damage. I think Naomi would be more upset about that then your getting injured in the first place."

"Don't talk about Naomi like you know her," snapped Ichiru.

Kiryu raised an eyebrow, resting his cheek on his fist. "Oh, but I do know her," he said. "I know she cares for you very much and hates to see you harmed in any way, just as I do."

"What're you talkin' 'bout?" demanded Ichiru. Did this man truly think he would believe that nonsense after all that had happened between them? "You're the reason I have these two holes in my neck in the first place!"

The nobleman appeared confused at these words, his smooth brow furrowing. "What...?" he murmured slowly. "Do you mean to tell me that my... that my bite hasn't healed yet?"

Ichiru shook his head. "That blood you smelled? That was from it openin' again."

Kiryu was shocked by this. That couldn't be right. He had bitten Ichiru nearly two weeks ago. The bite marks should have healed by now. There may be some light scarring but all evidence of the attack should have disappeared for the most part. Had he... had he really pierced him that deeply? He had been too ashamed to examine his work once he regained sense of himself that night. It had been terrifying enough to think that Ichiru might have died. "Let me see," he demanded.

"What?"

"Let me see the bite."

"Why?"

"I said so."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna do it!"

"Ichiru, quit being difficult. There's no reason for me not to see it. I'm just curious as to why it hasn't healed yet. Perhaps I can help."

Ichiru blinked at these words. How on earth did this man think he could help? He lived in a house full of vampires and none of them could do a damn thing. Even so, a little voice in the back of the servant's head asked him what it could hurt. Perhaps a hunter would know something about healing vampire bites that the vampires didn't. That would make sense. Vampires were naturally quick healers, after all. They didn't have to worry about human healing rates. Thus, however reluctantly, Ichiru began to undo the scarf around his neck, revealing the bloodied bandages beneath it. This sight seemed trouble Kiryu, his eyes darkening as he looked at them. "Do you want me to take the bandages off, too?" he asked quietly, feeling very uncertain.

Kiryu shook his head. "No, I'll do that myself."

Ichiru screwed his eyes shut, tensing as he waited to feel Kiryu's fingertips brush against his neck. However, he never felt it. Instead, he felt himself being lifted in the air, just like he had when the nobleman had carried him to the carriage in the first place. Opening his eyes a tiny bit, he saw that Kiryu had decided to whisk him into the interior of the carriage, presumably for privacy. This realisation made the boy panic more than the idea of Kiryu touching his neck. "No! Wait! What're you doin'?"

The earl, who had been instructing his driver to stow away the first aid kit, glanced down down at the panicked servant in his arms. "I'm taking you home," he said simply. He then laid the boy down on on of the seats, making completely certain he would be comfortable before leaving his side.

Blinking, Ichiru stared in bemusement. What? Why was Kiryu taking him home? What had happened to examining his neck? "Wait!" he cried suddenly, leaning forward and reaching out his hand as the aristocrat made to close the door. "I have my own ride back home! I can't just leave with you! And what happened to you lookin' at my bite? En't that what you wanna do?"

"Oh, I do," Kiryu answered, finishing closing the door. "However, I want to accompany you home. Considering tonight's events, I would feel much better about your safety if it were I who was watching over you. I'll look at the bite on the way."

"But my ride..." Ichiru couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving the driver who had brought him into town waiting for him in the cold for hours. It wasn't right. Besides, he had left the masks Lady Shizuka had ordered in that carriage. It had been his duty to go and fetch them. How could he complete that if he went home with Kiryu?

"We'll pass by your carriage on our way out of town," the aristocrat told him simply, seating himself opposite the human servant. "We'll inform the driver that you are coming home with me and that he may go on without you."

Ichiru still felt uncomfortable with this arrangement but he could see no way out of it. So, resigning himself to a two hour ride home with the man he hated, he flopped back in his seat and mumbled, "Fine."

Kiryu smirked. "Good kitten," he murmured, rather condescendingly. Ichiru grimaced at the use of the ridiculous pet name. "Sharing a carriage with me won't be too horrible. You'll see."

While Ichiru highly doubted this, he held his tongue as he heard the driver call out and a whip snap before the carriage started trundling along. The servant and the nobleman sat in silence while the carriage made a roundabout turn and moved up the street towards the carriage Ichiru had been using. After a few minutes of silence, Kiryu finally spoke.

"Oh, I found this on the street." The earl reached into his coat and pulled out a worn newsboy hat, holding it out to Ichiru. "Could it perhaps be yours?"

"My hat!" Ichiru cried, snatching the hat out of the other young man's hand. It must have fallen off when the vampire pounced on him. With all that had been going on, he hadn't even noticed. Glancing up at Kiryu, he instinctively smiled and said, "Thank you!"

This display of gratitude caught Kiryu off guard. He was not used to being so warmly regarded by the object of his affection. Come to think of it, he didn't believe Ichiru had ever truly smiled in his presence. He loved the boy's smile. He would have to devise ways to bring it out more often. Oh, what a fickle, contradictory person he was. "You're welcome, Ichiru," he replied quietly.

The way Kiryu was now observing him caused Ichiru to blush. He hated that look, the one that burned with that suggestive fire that made him feel warm and embarrassed all the way to his toes. It was such a horrible feeling.

A minute later, they had reached Ichiru's carriage. The servant had made to get up but the aristocrat waved him down, assuring him that he could handle this and that Ichiru needed to rest. As an afterthought, he added that it would probably be best for that ankle to remain elevated. Begrudgingly, Ichiru shifted his position so that his feet lay on the seat once again. Kiryu nodded in approval and made to step out of the carriage when the servant stopped him.

"Wait! The masks!"

Kiryu froze. "What masks?" he asked curiously.

"The ones I was sent here t' get," Ichiru explained. "They're on the seat in the coach. Could you get 'em for me?"

Kiryu agreed he would before exiting the carriage. Moments later, he reappeared, having explained the situation to the other driver, with the boxes containing the masks tucked under his arm. Ichiru reached out to take the boxes from the earl nut the man didn't even seem to acknowledge that. Instead, he knelt by the servant's feet and, gingerly lifting his injured ankle, slipped the boxes onto the seat before placing Ichiru's foot gently on them.

This action baffled Ichiru. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, his brow furrowed almost suspiciously at the hunter.

"You need to keep that foot elevated," the gentleman explained simply. "It will assist in the healing process. That and staying off of it for a few days." Kiryu gave the other boy a pointed look, causing Ichiru to scowl and look away, glaring out the darkened window with his arms crossed moodily. Great, just great. Now, he was trapped in a small space with the most arrogant person on the face of the earth for the next two hours and there was nothing he could do about it. He would probably have to put up with comments like this the entire way home.

* * *

A dark, unassuming carriage pulled slowly to the front gate of the royal palace, the handsome horses whinnying and pawing at the ground as the driver yanked them to a halt. The driver then promptly leapt down from his seat and hurried to the side of the equipage, opening the door and holding out a hand to assist the occupant. A small, hooded form emerged from the dark interior, taking the driver's had as she stepped down from the coach. Once on the ground, she thanked the driver in a light trill. The elder vampire bowed and the girl curtsied before gliding through the front gate.

When the young girl entered the palace, it caused quite a stir. Servants whispered excitedly behind their hands as she passed. This person had not been expected back at the palace for a while yet, her arrival being a bit of a surprise, especially since she had arrived alone. The girl paid no mind to this as she strode through the hallways towards a certain person's room. He was the only person she cared about right now. His last letter had sounded so sad and angry. She couldn't bear the thought of her beloved in pain.

Approaching a pair of handsome oak doors, the petite girl raised a fist and tentatively knocked. When this received no answer, she took a deep breath and hesitantly opened the left door. She didn't know why she was faltering. Yes, she knew he was in a right temper but she also knew he would be glad to see her. They were engaged after all and very happily so.

The girl opened the door just wide enough for her so slip surreptitiously into the darkened room. This was not a good sign. When her love was in a particularly melancholic mood, he refused to even light a single lamp, preferring to sulk in complete darkness. Sure enough, as she searched through the many rooms of the suite, she found Kaname Kuran laying in depressed lethargy on the couch. She sighed. It was just like him.

She sidled gracefully, silently, in the direction of the couch. She was surprised by the fact the prince had yet to sense her presence. Perhaps he was simply too depressed to take much notice. The girl managed to stand directly behind the unergetic pureblood without detection. Lifting her hand, she began to stroke the man's raven hair as she sang, "Kaname... I'm home..."

Kaname tilted his head back to see who had dared intruded upon his solitude. Upon realising who it was, his previously mournful expression shifted into one a relieved joy. "Yuki..."

Princess Yuki Kuran returned her fiancé's gentle smile and replied, "Hello, brother dearest. Did you miss me?"

* * *

Silence had fallen upon the carriage, the only sounds being the wheels and horses as they travelled away from town and towards the manor. Soon, after having climbed and descended a hill, they were traversing through a forest, the trees on either side of the dark road appearing bare and forlorn. Many would have perhaps found the scenery eerie or even downright perilous but Ichiru only found it somewhat sad. _Trees look so naked without their leaves or flowers_, he thought with a melancholy expression on his face. This was another reason he hated winter. Everything appeared so dead and woebegone. It was depressing.

Kiryu, on the other hand, did not pay one mind to the world outside this small compartment he was sharing with Ichiru. His eyes remained as determinedly fixed on the servant as the servant was determinedly making sure he didn't spare the nobleman a passing glance. As he looked on the injured boy, Kiryu reflected on all of the things he had done wrong where it concerned Ichiru during his previous visit to Hio Manor. Feeding on him had been a large offence, obviously, but what else had gone wrong? Not being able to come up with any answer when he returned to the capital, the young man had turned to his adolescence companion and casual bed mate, Kaname Kuran, inquiring as to what the prince did to woo his fiancée.

At first, the pureblood had been affronted by this question, making a rash of ridiculous arguments as to why Kiryu should not try to seduce Ichiru. Kiryu, being a man who didn't like being denied something, promptly shot down all of these arguments by making parallels to Kaname's own ventures in love. After that had been settled, Kaname begrudgingly brought to the younger aristocrat's attention that Ichiru was of a lower class than the men and women the hunter was used to chasing after. He was most likely, from what Kiryu had told the pureblood about the boy, not impressed by wealth or power or unusual beauty or devious charm. No, the servant was much simpler (or more complex, depending on which way one viewed it) and would probably fall for someone who was hard-working and generally good. The pureblood royal also wagered that Ichiru was a romantic. Gifts and expensive outings weren't necessary. Small acts of kindness and gentle touches would more likely than not win over the boy's heart.

Sighing, Kiryu rubbed his temple with his forefinger. Wooing Ichiru would be exhausting. Even Kaname had realised this, pointing out that the hunter would need to put in a lot more effort into pursuing the human than he usually did, especially if he planned on establishing a serious long-term relationship with the boy. Actually, now that he thought about it, the Kuran prince would probably be a better match for Ichiru than his own mirror image was. The lithe brunette was, too, a hopeless romantic and a true gentleman to the core, prone to foolish acts of chivalry. At least, that was how he appeared to the public. Still, the pureblood placed undue faith in humanity, thanks to the influence of his father. It was amusing for one so old. Surely both Haruka and Kaname should know the horrid workings of the world better than a youngster like himself.

The earl chucked at this thought, causing Ichiru to finally look over at him.

"What's so funny?" he snapped suspiciously, narrowing his lilac eyes at the young man seated across from him.

"Oh, nothing," replied Kiryu with a shrug. Then, as an afterthought he added, "Let's take a look at that neck of yours, shall we?"

Ichiru gulped as the noble slid from his seat to kneel beside him, fully removing his scarf while eyeing the bloodied dressings wrapped around his neck keenly. "N-no, that's alright," he stammered, shifting uneasily in an attempt to further distance himself from Kiryu. He wasn't exactly keen on having his still tender neck poked and prodded by anyone, most specially not by the person who had hurt him in the first place. "I'm fine, really. I'm sure it'll fix itself on its own..."

"Nonsense," Kiryu insisted, reaching up to unwind the dirty bandages.

Ichiru tensed as he felt the other adolescent's fingertips occasionally, almost deliberately, brush against his skin as Kiryu carefully removed his gauze. What was he thinking, letting this person examine his wound? He had been the one who gave it to him after all. If this was the hunter trying to make amends, he didn't care for it. Nothing the insufferable man could do would be enough for Ichiru to consider it proper atonement. However, considering Kiryu was a hunter and had been bitten by a vampire before, he was probably the best person to treat the bite. Still, he felt extreme apprehensive letting the man touch him at all.

Dispensing with the bloody strip of cloth, Kiryu frowned as he beheld the severity of the wound he had inflicted on Ichiru. The twin puncture marks in the soft white flesh were anything but shallow. They appeared to only be half-healed and blood from their reopening stained the surrounding skin. It was still quite moist. His frown deepening, the hunter placed his middle and index fingers around the bite, putting slight pressure on it to inspect it thoroughly.

Cringing, Ichiru hissed as the earl did this. The area was still quite sore and he disliked it when people touched it.

"Does it hurt?"

Ichiru blinked in surprise at the unexpectedly gentle question. "Well, yeah!" he answered the noble hunter, a bit incredulously. "You bit me, idiot! Of course it hurts!"

Kiryu's previously tender expression transformed into one of annoyance. To hell with Kaname and his romanticism! Ichiru was obviously someone who necessitated force, the stubborn, overly suspicious mule. "Well, excuse me for trying to be considerate!" he growled, pulling his hand away from the other boy's neck, a scowl marring his handsome features. "You looked as if you were about to cry. I don't want to hurt you unnecessarily."

The young human coughed disbelievingly and turned away from the vampire, trying to indiscreetly wiping the unshed tears of anguish from his eyes with his coat sleeve. What lies! Kiryu had already hurt him several times, all for completely unnecessary reasons, whether it had been from anger or passion or hunger. He hated the way this man lied to him continuously. The stupid earl was even beginning to buy into his own propaganda! Such a stupid, stupid man...

"Do you want me to take the pain away?"

This question caught Ichiru off guard. Whipping around to face the nobleman (and receiving a nice crick in the neck in the bargain), he stared wide-eyed at Kiryu. How on earth did this arrogant person plan to do that? Especially after Naomi and Kenta had tried every remedy they could think of to help with the pain and nothing had worked. So did this man think he was God now? How exactly did he plan to alleviate the constant throbbing in his neck? Knowing the earl, it probably wouldn't be anything good. "No," the servant said firmly.

Kiryu tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why not?" he inquired. "When I'm in pain, I wish for it to be gone as quickly as possible. Besides, it's the least I can do after hurting you so."

"It en't like I like it or anythin'," Ichiru snarled, crossing his arms. "I en't a masochist," he pronounced the word with a 'ch' instead of leaving the 'h' silent, "or whatever. I just don't want you touchin' me any more."

His lips falling into a mock pout at these words, Kiryu answered in whiny voice, "Aw, but I rather like touching you. And the word is pronounced 'maso_c_hist'. The 'h' is silent."

"I know you like touchin' me," sniffed Ichiru, ignoring the correction "That's part of the problem."

This, however, seemed to only fuel the nobleman's fire. Within a blink of an eye, Kiryu was on top of Ichiru, straddling his hips. The human boy was too stunned by the sudden transfer to react quickly or properly, which suited the hunter just fine. "Well, now, that's just too bad," he purred, lowering his face to within a few centimetres of Ichiru's. Then, he grabbed the servant's crossed arms and held them fast, causing Ichiru to squirm.

"Hey! What're yo--"

"Stay still," Kiryu ordered shortly, using his other hand to roughly turn Ichiru's head to the side. Then, he bent forward and pressed his lips on the area he had pierced with his fangs only two short weeks before. He felt a shiver run through the human boy's body as he did this. He frowned, know it was a shiver of fear. Was that the only effect he would ever have on this boy?

Sighing, he placed his mouth over each puncture wound, paying special attention to each one as he lathed them gently with his tongue, making sure they were both satisfactorily covered in his saliva. Ichiru jerked as he dipped the tip of his tongue into one of the holes, but Kiryu held him fast. He couldn't afford the servant causing more damage to himself. Losing himself in the other young man's neck, he began to kiss his pale skin and lap up the excess blood that had spilled out when the wound had reopened. He would never, ever forget how sweet this boy tasted... He heard Ichiru whimper as he did this. The boy cringed and tried to pull away, but the nobleman continued to hold him down, something which did nothing to calm the human's nerves and he began to struggle harder. "Relax," Kiryu whispered. "I'll be done soon..."

Although the earl remained true to his word, Ichiru could not relax. How could he with a blood-thirsty monster clamped to his neck? Experience had only oh-so-recently taught him that was the very opposite of a relaxing situation. Even when Kiryu pulled away, he kept his eyes screwed shut and his jaw clenched. He only moved when the noble spoke again.

"How does it feel now?"

His eyes snapping open, Ichiru realised for the first time he pain in his neck had vanished. Well, one of them anyway. Hesitantly, he raised to the sensitive area and gently pressed his fingers against it. That didn't hurt either, albeit a bit disgusting with all the spit. Amazing as it was, it was still suspicious. "What'd you do t' me?" he demanded of the man leaning over him.

"I relieved you of your pain," Kiryu stated simply.

Ichiru rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I got that," he grumbled. "How'd you do it, though?"

Kiryu, who still straddled the other adolescent's hips, frowned. He had been afraid Ichiru would ask that. Why couldn't the boy just be satisfied that he was now free from pain? For the most part. Why did he have to know _why_ he was pain-free? A short time ago, explaining the biology of vampires would have not bothered the young man as much but now, it only served to remind him how he, too, was capable of these things. However, he got the distinct feeling Ichiru would not let the matter drop so he figured it would just be best to get over with the whole ordeal. "Vampires are hedonistic beings," he said quietly, almost scornfully. "Do you know what that means, Ichiru?"

Ichiru shook his head.

"It means they are beings who live only for pleasure," the earl explained.

Mouthing an 'oh', Ichiru nodded and fixed Kiryu with a scathing look. "I don't know why you're beatin' yourself up 'bout bein' one, then," he scoffed, "Seems t' fit you t' a 't'."

Quickly squelching the powerful desire to slap the boy beneath him, Kiryu clenched his teeth and growled, "_Anyway_, vampire saliva has anaesthetic properties. It numbs the nerve endings and makes the bite more bearable. That is why vampires tend to lick their victim's neck before biting. Of course, there are some more sadistic creatures who forgo this, causing their victims to feel as much pain as possible..." He trailed off at this and a barely visible shiver went down his spine.

To Ichiru, who didn't noticed the shiver, the hunter's explanation made sense. It was probably terribly inconvenient to have one's prey shrieking and squirming in pain when one was trying to feed indiscreetly. It had still hurt like hell, though, when Kiryu had bitten him, despite the licking. This was when it occurred to him that Kiryu had done a bit more than simply lick his wounds. "What was with all the other stuff you did, then?" he asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.

As he expected, Kiryu smirked, a suggestive passion flickering in his lavender eyes. "I like the way you taste," he purred, lowering himself so that his face was only centimetres from Ichiru's, his warm breath stirring the boy's silver bangs.

Ichiru flushed bright red. There it was again. That fluttery feeling that arose in his stomach whenever Kiryu got too close to him. "Tha--" The boy never got to finish his thought as the earl closed the minimal space between them, covering the servant's lips with his own. Like always, Ichiru resisted, attempting to pull to away. Unfortunately, this was a difficult task to accomplish when one had limited mobility of both one's head and body. Unlike always, however, he found he wasn't pulling away for disgust but for fear. Fear not only of Kiryu in general, but fear that he might actually be starting to enjoy being kissed by Kiryu. No! That couldn't be! He didn't like men! At least, not that way. He was attracted to women, damn it! His love for his mistress proved this, however chaste that love may be. He refused to be a part of this depravity! Yet when the nobleman ran his tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entry, he only hesitated a moment before allowing it.

It was an odd sensation, having Kiryu's tongue fill his mouth, especially since it was consensual this time. Ichiru almost gagged at this thought, but he promptly quelled the instinct. He tried to focus more on how the man leaning over him caressed the interior of his mouth with his tongue and how he moved his lips against his own. Being still very inexperienced in the ways of kissing, the servant took cues from the hunter, shyly responding in kind to the nobleman's embrace. After a little while, Ichiru began to relax. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling, kissing Kiryu. It made him feel awkward and shy, sure, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant. That was, until Ichiru found the courage to explore the moist cavern of the earl's mouth himself and discovered the sharp points of the man retracted fangs.

His eyes snapping, the human gave a muffled cry and shoved the other young man away roughly, wrapping his arms around himself. What on earth had he been doing? Kissing the person who had almost taken his life? He was disgusting. He didn't even love Kiryu! Hell, he didn't even _like_ the man! He hated him! Didn't he? Well, he thought him arrogant, impertinent, and lewd at any rate, if not a bit scary. He glared reproachfully at Kiryu.

The hunter, however, was completely at a loss for what had just happened. Why had Ichiru pushed him away? All signs indicated he had been rather enjoying himself. He had even been kissing back! Besides, Kiryu was very worked up now and was very tempted to throw Ichiru on the floor of the carriage and just have his way with him. However, he had a strong feeling that that would be extremely counter-productive. He would have to be patient with this boy, even if his patience was running thin. "What's wrong, Ichiru?" he inquired, attempting to keep his voice steady and calm.

Ichiru shook his head. "No," he stated firmly, his tone a bit snippy. "I won't do it. I can't."

"Why not?" purled Kiryu, his annoyed and confused expression dissolving into a seductive smirk as he chalked up Ichiru's reaction to natural inhibitions. A lot of men reacted that way to his advances at first. "You seemed to like it this time..." He began crawling towards the boy again, but Ichiru continued to pull away, shaking his head.

"I said no! Stay back! Don't come any closer! I'm serious! Nnh!" Ichiru started pushing Kiryu away, attempting to keep an arm's length distance between him and the earl.

Kiryu gritted his teeth and emitted a low, annoyed growl as he gripped Ichiru's wrists much harder than was necessary. Damn, this boy could be irritating. Not to mention an insufferable tease. Of course, the young servant most likely had no idea the havoc he was wreaking upon him. With his human vulnerability and his stubborn insistence against it, the boy presented him with the sort of challenge he enjoyed. However, he never expected to come in contact with a person so utterly different from himself that compatibility might not even be possible. He supposed that's what he got for banking on their natural bond to draw Ichiru to him. While it was evident the boy felt some sort of pull towards the earl, the nobleman never anticipated how hard Ichiru would fight his instinct. Then again, biting him had most likely not been a powerful incentive for the human to warm up to him.

Even so, Kiryu was running out of time. He couldn't afford to play these games with Ichiru for much longer, as exciting and deliciously infuriating as they were. He needed the boy much more than anyone knew. It was imperative that he had the boy before it was too late. Thus, if Ichiru couldn't decide for himself, Kiryu would just have to make up his mind for him.

First thing to go, he decided, were Ichiru's pesky hands.

Since his hands were already encircling the young human's wrist, it made things much simpler. Kiryu pushed the servant's wrists together and held them over his head, pinning them to the carriage interior. Naturally, this did not sit well with Ichiru.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing? I said stop it! Get off me! Get of-- nnh!"

Kiryu, who had changed positions so that he grasped the boy's wrists in one hand, had snatched Ichiru's face and forcefully covered the human's mouth with his own, effectively cutting off his protests. He waited for a bit while Ichiru tired himself out struggling before breaking the kiss, still hovering within a few centimetres of the boy's face. "I have saved your life twice now," the earl murmured, more darkly than he had meant. "You owe me."

Ichiru's heart skipped a beat, his lilac eyes widening. His worst fears had been confirmed. All Kiryu wanted was his body. He had realised this right off the bat, but now that it was going to happen, it was frightening.

No! He had no intention of losing his innocence to this person, not now, not ever! He had escaped this fate ten years ago, he would not resign himself to it ever again! "No!" he cried out, kicking and writhing in Kiryu's clutches. "Get off me! Leave me alone! I don't owe you shit! Not a damn thing! Now, get off! Getoffgetoffgetoff!

Bowing his head, Kiryu had to fight back a pleasured groan. This was not good. Ichiru squirming and bucking beneath him was creating delicious friction between them and while the nobleman would love for it to continue, it was seriously inconducive when it came to thinking. "Do you truly think you do not owe me anything, Ichiru?" he rumbled quietly.

"Hell no!" Ichiru spat. "You nearly killed me and then you saved me! We're even!"

"I've saved you twice."

"Liar! Can't you count, you idiot?" snapped Ichiru, trying desperately to wrench his wrists out of the other man's hands. "You've only saved me once!" Damn, this man was conceited. The boy knew this already but he had never imagined the aristocrat was arrogant enough that he would actually invent an occurrence to boost his own ego.

"If it weren't for my blood flowing through your veins, you wouldn't be here right now."

"I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout! You're craz--mmph!" Kiryu had once again silenced Ichiru by kissing him, forcing his lips apart. However, what filled the servant's mouth this time was not the earl's oratory organ, but something liquid, lukewarm, and distinctly metallic in taste. Ichiru nearly gagged when he realised it was blood. As soon as the hunter freed his mouth, he attempted to spit it out, but Kiryu held his jaw shut.

"Swallow," the former human ordered.

The command caused Ichiru to stop dead. Unfortunately, it was one he knew all too well. It wasn't quite the same as when he was child, the bodily fluid being different, but still. He didn't have to do that any more, though! He wasn't a child any more! He was nearly an adult, God damn it! Fighting the instinct to gulp down the fluids filling his mouth, the human shook his head and struggled against his captor with renewed fervour. The cold way Kiryu was regarding him reminded him much too much of his days in the orphanage. He refused to experience any of that again. He would not return to the darkness, he had more self-worth than that. He knew that now. Tears stinging his eyes, Ichiru squeezed them shut as he kicked and writhed and uttered muffled protests through his clenched teeth.

"Swallow it, Ichiru," Kiryu demanded again. His grip on Ichiru's jaw was starting to bruise. "It will only be worse for you if you don't."

This undeniable truth washed over Ichiru, leaving behind a feeling of hopelessness. Hesitantly, he swallowed the blood, feeling it slid down his throat in a sickening manner, almost like cod liver oil. Kiryu, appearing quite satisfied, released his mouth, allowing him to gasp for breath. Ichiru felt nauseous. Blood was disgusting.

"That is why you are still alive."

Ichiru glowered incredulously at the hunter on top of him. "What? Force-feedin' me your blood?" he coughed.

Kiryu nodded solemnly. "I drained you quite a bit, Ichiru," he murmured. "You wouldn't have survived had I not been able to stop myself in time. Even then, you were as close to death as one can possibly be without dying. You barely had a pulse. You needed blood―vampire blood―" he gritted his teeth "―to keep your heart beating."

Anyone else in Ichiru's position may have not been inclined to believe the nobleman, but Ichiru had been saved by vampire blood before. He knew of its amazing properties and the unusual effects it had on human beings. However, he had no idea that the blood of a former human was able to do something as powerful as keeping someone alive. For obvious reasons, he highly doubted this. "You're just sick," he growled, glaring murderously at Kiryu. His eyes were still brimming with tears.

His eyebrows raised, Kiryu said, "You think I'm sick?"

Ichiru nodded.

This response hit Kiryu like a physical slap in the face, both infuriating him and cutting him deeply with its rejection. As he stared at the boy laying beneath him, Ichiru's tear-rimmed eyes fixing him with a murderous glare, the young earl became divided between several different options and ideas of how the remainder of the carriage ride could go. On the one hand, he could make the human bite his tongue as the nobleman pulled him into the dark depths of forbidden pleasure or he could go the route that would most certainly sit the best with Ichiru and refrain himself for once, returning to quietly sitting in his appointed seat on the opposite side of the coach. Glancing briefly over his shoulder, he reminded himself of the servant's injured ankle and knew what decision he had to make.

Sighing, he slid off Ichiru and crossed the coach, settling himself back in his seat. It wasn't fair for him to take advantage of Ichiru, especially when the boy was in this state. He was already so much weaker than him. He had proven that much. Besides, doing anything the human would deem "inappropriate" would prove to be a very bad move when it came to furthering his stance where it concerned Ichiru. Even so, he was still aching with need and being confined in such a small area with the object of his desire was not helping. He thus crossed his legs in an effort to alleviate some of the discomfort he was currently feeling while also concealing his aroused state from Ichiru.

Although saying he was ungrateful for the noble's departure would be a lie, the servant boy had to wonder why Kiryu was suddenly being so considerate of him. Sitting up, Ichiru swept his eyes warily over the earl, a hesitant question flickering in his lilac eyes. "What're you doin'?" he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Kiryu shrugged. "What does it looked like I'm doing?" he responded to the other young man's question with a question. "I'm sitting here."

"Yeah," agreed Ichiru. "But why en't you tryin' t'... t' touch me or somethin'?" That seemed more the nobleman's style than just sitting calmly across the way. This sudden shift in behaviour put the human on edge. This man was up to something, he just knew it.

Raising an eyebrow quizzically, Kiryu inquired with a smirk on his lips, "I don't know. Do you want me to touch you?"

"N-no!" snapped Ichiru incredulously, a light flush spreading across his face. Then, determinedly facing away from the aristocratic hunter, he muttered, "Why'd I want you t' touch me, you pervert? Wrong, s'just wrong..."

"Perhaps you're right."

This softly uttered statement caught Ichiru off guard. Whipping back around to face Kiryu again, the boy stuttered, "Wh-what'd you say?"

"I said perhaps you're right." Kiryu shifted so that he was leaning more fully back in his handsome leather seat, his fingertips pressed together pressed together as he observed Ichiru thoughtfully over the top of them. "Perhaps I am sick." He was certain that was the Hunter's Society thought of him, at any rate. The world he had been raised in turned their back the moment he had been bitten, the night he had been orphaned. He had accepted this early on, realising that the society to which he once belonged and was even hailed as a prodigy by would never accept him now that he was one of the hunted. They only reason they still kept him around was because he was useful to them. However, if they ever found out he had a twin...

No, too many of the wrong people already knew of Ichiru's existence as it was. Throw in the fact he was becoming increasingly sexually attracted to said twin and he might as well hang himself now. Fooling around with nobility of both genders was fine. The higher class was allowed their perversions for the most part, simply being that they were the higher class. As long as they kept a low enough profile to not besmirch their public image, no one would think twice if Asato Ichijo liked to play with little boys or if the Kuran family had a long history of inbreeding. Thus was the sickness of the aristocracy.

Courting a twin that was never supposed to exist, however? Therein lay the greatest taboo. Not even the biggest buffoon with the largest bought blindness would be able to ignore that.

Ichiru, who knew nothing of this, was taken aback by Kiryu's sudden willingness to agree with him, he had no idea what had caused this change of heart but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Are you just realisin' this now or is there somethin' else?" he asked, tilting his head questioningly.

Smiling amiably, Kiryu replied, "Oh, I've been called sick before. Sort of comes with being openly promiscuous, as you've undoubtedly heard I am. However, it never bothered me until I heard you say it." His expression turned quite sober as he continued to gaze at Ichiru, a sort of lonesome yearning flickering in his pallid eyes not even the servant could ignore.

The human boy frowned. This was the second time the vampire noble had appeared lonesome in his presence. It was enough to cause the servant to feel sympathetic towards him, despite all his shortcomings and irritating personality. "Why does my opinion matter so much to you?" Ichiru asked quietly, shaking his head. "It en't like I'm special or anythin'."

A heavy silence fell over the cabin as Kiryu felt the completely irrational desire to fall to his knees before Ichiru and lament exactly how special the boy was, revealing absolutely everything to him and promising to take him as far away from the miserable existence he had been leading as he could. However, this impractical want was quickly squashed as the earl regained better control of himself. Sighing, the former human shook his head and murmured, "Oh, my dear kitten. If only I could tell you how extraordinary you really are."

His shoulders shooting up to his ears, Ichiru flushed deeply and turned away from the earl. "That's what the old man said, too," he muttered sourly.

This piqued the aristocrat's attention. "What old man?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in a manner identical to Ichiru.

"The man at the mask shop," answered Ichiru, his eyes flickering to the man sitting across from him.

Comprehension dawned on Kiryu's face. "Oh!" he said, looking tremendously more cheerful than he had a moment before. "You met the masque maker! I should have known! No better place to get a quality masque for the grand ball, hm? So, he called you extraordinary as well, did he? Should have expected as much. He's a very, shall we say, _perceptive_ person."

"Y-yeah," Ichiru stammered apprehensively. 'Perceptive' wasn't precisely the word he would have used to describe the old shopkeeper. He would have chosen something more along the lines of 'creepy' or downright 'scary'. "D'you know him?"

"Not personally," Kiryu shrugged. Then, his somewhat jovial manner left him again and his solemn attitude returned. He frowned and the look in his eyes became sorrowful again. "My father did, though. A long time ago."

Mouthing 'oh', Ichiru remembered the elder masque maker mentioning being an acquaintance of the late Earl Kiryu. The atmosphere of the carriage became very tense at that moment, the current Earl Kiryu's aura darkening protectively around him. It worked, for now the house worker was too frightened to look at him. He returned to staring resolutely out the window, as he had been doing at the beginning of the trip. The heavy silence remained for moments innumerable until Kiryu once again broke it.

"My father would have liked you," he stated, seemingly out of nowhere. "My mother as well."

This caught Ichiru off guard. Staring wide-eyed at the vampire hunter seated across from him he stammered, "Wh-why?"

_They were _your_ mother and father, too_. "They always liked happy children," Kiryu shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant as they flitted very close to a dangerous subject: that of their families. "They were constantly pestering me about being more cheerful. They would have absolutely adored you if you had ever had the chance to meet."

Ichiru blushed and stared at his injured ankle, drawing the knee of his unwounded leg up to his chest and wrapping his arms around it. "I en't always been like this," he murmured sadly. Feeling a bit ashamed of himself, he added, "If they met me when I was a kid, they prob'bly wouldn't've liked me at all."

Regarding the hunched form before him curiously, Kiryu had just opened his mouth to question the boy further, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. The earl was suddenly irrationally upset about his short time with Ichiru being interrupted and moved quickly to the window to see why they had stopped. They couldn't possibly be there already, could they? However, one glance out the window revealed that they were, in fact, at the end of the curving driveway of Hio Manor. Cursing softly under his breath, the earl turned the servant boy and said smoothly, "Well, it seems we have arrived at our destination. Now, see? Was that so bad?"

Begrudgingly, Ichiru had to admit to himself that travelling with Kiryu had not been as bad as he had previously envisioned. He be damned if he ever said that to the aristocrat's face, though. Grumbling something incoherent, he swung his legs off his seat and reached for the leather boxes, gathering them into his arms before replacing his worn cap back onto his head (he had failed to do so when he had taken it from Kiryu).

"Are you ready? Do you have everything?" Kiryu asked, watching as Ichiru collected his belongings as his driver opened the door beside him.

Making one last visual sweep of the coach, Ichiru nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said. "I think so."

Kiryu smirked. "Good."

Before he quite knew what was happening, Ichiru once again found himself being lifted into the nobleman's arms and whisked of into the cold night. A few seconds passing at breakneck speed later and the human found both him and the vampire earl on the front steps of the manor house. His eyes wide with shock and his heart racing wildly, Ichiru was sure he looked distinctly rumpled and that was going to bring up a lot of his unnecessary questions regarding his activities that night._ 'Course, if Kiryu had had it his way..._ Glaring menacingly up at the aristocrat as the man set him gently down on the front steps, the human growled, "You really need t' stop doin' that."

Chortling quietly to himself, Kiryu answered, "Is that so?" Then, his demeanour becoming serious again, he said, "All right, now before I leave, I have a few more words for you. First of all, I'm going to ring the doorbell right before I go. You are to wait for someone to come and get you. You are not to put any weight on that ankle of yours. Do you understand?"

Ichiru rolled his eyes. "I guess you're gonna leave a lil' note askin' 'em t' take care of me as if I were their own or somethin'?" he dead-panned.

His eye twitching in slight irritation, Kiryu ignored this comment and continued. "Secondly, I want you to take this." The man reached into his pants' pocket and extracted a small handgun, placing it firmly in Ichiru's palm.

Furrowing his brow, Ichiru asked, "What's this?"

"An anti-vampire gun," stated Kiryu. At the horrified expression that arose on Ichiru's face, he added, "Don't look at me like that. I'll sleep better at night knowing you have this. It's small, but at least you will have something to protect yourself with if I'm not around."

This, however, did very little to assuage Ichiru's nerves. Having gone very pale, the servant boy whispered, "They'll kill me if they find me with this."

"That is why you are going to hide it," explained the aristocrat, nodding firmly. "Please, for my sake, keep it with you at all times. Hopefully, you will never have to use it."

Nodding hesitantly, Ichiru closed his fingers around the gun and held it to his chest. This was the first time someone had given him something in the interest of his own safety. While it filled him with a tight warmth, he still felt like a traitor for merely agreeing to keep the gun in his possession. Still, perhaps it would sooth his current fears regarding vampires if he had something to protect himself against them.

Breathing an inward sigh of relief that the boy had accepted the firearm, Kiryu proceeded to give the boy his last words before parting. He cupped his hand under Ichiru's chin and tipped the human's face up towards his, capturing those tempting lips in one last kiss. While he had the servant distracted, he reached around to the back of his head and swiftly pulled out the leather thong his doppelgänger used to secure his ponytail out of his silvery hair.

Gasping indignantly, Ichiru broke the kiss and gripped his hair as though trying to get it to remain tied up. "What'd you do that for?" he demanded of Kiryu, who was now standing above him with a triumphant smirk on his face, twirling the leather band around his forefinger.

"You look cuter with your hair down," Kiryu offered simply as an explanation. The colour that rose in the boy's face at these words just further confirmed this assessment, causing the blue blood to chuckle. He leaned down one last time and placed an innocent peck on Ichiru's cheek. "Sweet dreams, my dear kitten."

In a flash, the young earl then rang the doorbell and disappeared into the cold, late autumn night.

Now alone on the front steps, Ichiru glanced down once more at the gun in his hand and his colour deepened. Stupid Kiryu and his smooth words. Now he would never be able to get him out of his head!

Sighing in content resignment, Ichiru lifted his face to stare up at the soaring skies above him. In the last two hours, soft grey clouds had rolled in, concealing the stars he had observed earlier that evening. That was a pity. They had been pretty tonight. However, as the young man continued to gaze pensively at the stormy sky, something just as beautiful occurred, although why he thought this event beautiful at this particular moment when he normally didn't escaped him.

Slowly but surely, downy, pure white flakes descended from the heavens.

It was the first snow of the season.


	8. How The Other Half Lives

_*A/N: Well, here it is! The long-awaited eighth chapter! My sincerest apologies for the little hiatus. It's just that life... kind of... snuck up on me, but I won't bore you all with my drama. However, I eventually pushed through and finished the chapter just for you, my loyal readers! ...Wait a minute, I have loyal readers? *Let's this sink in for a moment* ...Whoa. Anyway, here's the chapter. This is another one which makes me fill like I'm shipping Ichiru and Maria more than Ichiru and Zero! XD I actually _do _support the IchiruxMaria pairing. In theory, anyway. Oh, and my dear freya kurenai, I still am working on your birthday fic, but again life and such... Yes, I WILL get that out eventually, though. Hopefully before the summer. OH. And one last note(s). You may notice I changed Zero's title from 'Count' to 'Earl'. Yeah, while I like the word 'count' better (think Count Dracula), I really want this to have a more English feel. I changed this in the other chapters, too. So yeah ^^; And one last thing: You may also notice that I keep fiddling with Ichiru's accent. Yeah, I'm having way too much fun with that and I need to be stopped, but I think I got what I want down. ^^;;; Anywhoozers, on with the chapter!*_

**Chapter Eight**

**How the Other Half Lives**

Day was swiftly fading into night, the dusky light of the attenuation sun filtering in through the thick dark curtains pulled haphazardly over the large windows that led into the opulent bed chambers in the west wing of the royal palace. In the centre of the bed chambers was situated a grand four-poster bed, its rich crimson curtains pulled back to reveal two beautiful slumbering forms tangled in the silk sheets. Their nude alabaster bodies and light sheen of sweat still clinging to them stood as evidence to a day of passion and desire previous to this serene moment. Two fallen angels caught up in a forbidden dance of lust.

One such angel slowly blinked into wakefulness as the light of day slid from his face, his pastel violet eyes glowing slightly in the half light. He shifted a bit, trying not to wake the brunette pillowed on his shoulder, and sighed, shielding his eyes with his arm. It was not rare that Zero left the bed unsatisfied, but now that it was becoming the norm instead of the exception, it was beginning to annoy. Perhaps the reason for his dissatisfaction was he was not laying with the one he truly wanted. Not that he would tell his current bed mate that, of course. It would be a serious blow to his pureblood pride if the gorgeous-to-point-of-sin Prince Kaname Kuran found out that, in the young aristocrat's eyes, he paled in comparison to a measly human.

Yes, Ichiru was still on poor Zero's mind and had been ever since he had left the boy on the front stoop of Hio Manor a little over a week ago. Their little tryst in the carriage had come so close to becoming more than it was, a fact of which the impatient young man was well aware. Now, he could not get the lewd images of the boy out of his head. He envisioned himself stripping the lovely human. With every piece of clothing he discarded, a new bit of soft, pale flesh was revealed. He could feel himself growing more aroused by the mere thought of Ichiru laying beneath him, his long legs spread in anticipation of the nobleman's possession, a charming combination of fear and desire flickering in his gleaming lavender eyes...

Zero mentally slapped himself. No, he mustn't think of that. He had no intention of giving the person laying beside him the idea he wanted to go again, not when any and all altercations would leave him unsated. What he needed to do was get up and do something productive. Now, to only do so without waking his companion...

Moving as slowly as he physically could, Zero inched his arm out from under the head of the still slumbering prince, holding his breath as he did so. Kaname was a notoriously light sleeper, something the earl found quite irksome those mornings he merely wanted to slip away unnoticed. Sometimes he succeeded, more often than not he failed. He dearly hoped this would be one of his more successful endeavours in leaving the pureblood undisturbed. However, he had no such luck.

The previously sleeping vampire slowly began blinking into wakefulness. As his bleary crimson eyes beheld his young paramour, a small, blissful smile formed on his full lips. "Mm, good morning, my love," he murmured groggily, stretching like a cat before snuggling up against Zero once more.

Sighing, Zero collapsed back onto the goose down pillow and started running his fingers through the other man's raven hair. There would be no escape now. "Morning, Kaname," he mumbled, trying to keep his displeasure out of his voice.

Kaname's own _highly_ pleased smile deepened at the sound of his lover's voice. Memories of the previous day, of the passionate embraces and the movements that were half dance, half battle, fluttered lazily in the pureblood's mind. It was always like that with the pair of them. The older vampire could never be quite sure if they were lovers or fighters or both simultaneously. Cruel as it may seem to outsiders, this precise dynamic in their relationship was what kept the prince coming back for more. Cuddling closer to the warm body next to his, Kaname murmured with a contented sigh, "You were wonderful last night. I don't know what's gotten into you this past week, but it's been amazing. I haven't heard any complaints for Yuki either..."

His face contorting into an irritated grimace, Zero shifted a bit and put his arm behind his head. He was a damn good actor, he decided, for neither of the royal siblings had realised that he was currently using them for a distraction, and that he always left the bed unsatisfied. "Yeah, sure," he growled quietly. "Whatever."

As blissfully ignorant as the prince had been this past week, not even Kaname could mistake the distinctive annoyance in the earl's voice. Shifting to face the younger vampire, the brunette frowned and inquired, "What is it? Is something the matter?"

"Nope!" replied Zero with a false jauntiness as he sat up more fully to stretch, effectively pushing his bedmate off of him. "There's nothing in the world that's the matter! Everything's just peachy." He swung his legs off the side of the mattress and rose from the bed, moving towards the door on the opposite side of the bed chamber.

Kaname watched suspiciously as the young nobleman disappeared into the bathroom adjoining the prince's bedroom. "What are you doing?" he demanded as soon as the man was out of sight.

"Running a bath, obviously. You've gotten me filthy!" Then, reappearing in the doorway, Zero smirked seductively as he added, "You're more than welcome to join me, of course."

While this silky suggestion was enough to send fiery ribbons of fresh arousal through the brunette royal, he hesitated. Yes, while the thought of sharing a steamy tub with the undeniably stunning earl was most tempting, Kaname did not think that was what Zero really wanted. The disgruntled manner in which the young man had been behaving mere moments before suggested the earl was only teasing the sensitive pureblood. It wouldn't be all that surprising. Zero knew perfectly well the effect he had on the prince and was not above flaunting this advantage to get a rise out of the older vampire. This sometimes presented itself as a rather irksome quality, although it also somehow made the man even more attractive to Kaname.

Besides, there was something that was bothering him.

Rising from the bed as well, Kaname moved to lean in the bathroom doorway as he watched his silver-haired lover draw a bath, filling the deep tub with hot, murky water. He waited until Zero slid into the water, a deeply satisfied moan escaping the young aristocrat's lips while the pureblood's mouth formed a pinched frown.

Upon noticing his visibly upset partner lingering a few feet away, Zero tilted his head curiously and asked, "What? What is it?"

"I could ask you the same question," Kaname sniffed sourly, crossing his arms and glaring at the earl.

Zero blinked and slipped further into the hot water, realisation dawning on him. Ah, so the man had noticed. He had noticed the distance and the distraction the hunter displayed during love-making. Sighing, he offered the elder vampire a sideways smirk and shook his head. "It's nothing," he assured the displeased brunette hovering in the bathroom entryway. "I've simply had a lot on my mind lately. Surely you can forgive that."

Kaname, however, quite obviously tensed at this. "It's that boy again, isn't it?" he demanded in a low growl. "Do not lie to me, Zero Kiryu. That's what it is, isn't it? You're thinking of that insignificant little human. Aren't you?"

"So what if I am?"

The pureblood prince had half a mind to tell the earl exactly 'what if,' which had something to do with kidnapping the boy in question and making him his eternal slave, but Kaname was smarter than that. Laying hands on the duchess' servant boy would only result in an angry Zero and hell to pay for all involved (and even some who weren't.) So, he went for a different tactic. Walking into the bathroom, the gorgeous brunette knelt at the side of the bathtub and dipped his finger into the murky, warm water, swirling it lazily. "So, why would you think about such a worthless little boy when you have me right here?" he murmured, laying his arm across the edge of the tub as he tilted his head and locked the younger aristocrat into a seductive gaze.

After a second's thought, Zero chuckled. "You're right, of course, Your Majesty," the earl muttered, using the title in jest. He moved forward slowly and captured the prince's delicate chin in his grasp. "Ichiru is just a little boy, but he is anything but worthless. Surely, your father has explained things to you?"

This comment took the pureblood aback for a brief moment before he could remember to be angry. "That's all a joke," he snapped, gritting his teeth. "Your parents hid him away from everyone, including yourself. Obviously, you were not meant to find him."

"Well, obviously!" Zero laughed and released Kaname, slipping further into the bath again. He gazed pensively at the copper-tiled ceiling for a few moments before crossing his arms behind his head. "However, without him, I can't complete my plans... He is the 'key,' after all."

While the last comment sailed right over Kaname's head, he heard the one before it loud and clear. In a way, the pureblood was relieved to hear those words come from his lover's mouth. At least they meant he wasn't serious about this good-for-nothing servant boy. "So, you're just using him," he murmured quietly, resting his head back on his arms as he closed his crimson eyes lightly. "I'm so glad to hear that, Zero... You have no idea..."

Zero faltered at his bedmate's words. _So, you're just using him..._ For some reason, that assessment of his motives bothered him. It wasn't the using bit that worried him. After all, he had used too many people in the past to be too eaten up by his actions. It was how he survived all these years without his mother and father's protection. No, it was more the fact that _Ichiru_, the precious little brother he never knew he had, was involved that left him unsettled. For the first time, he felt cold-hearted. He had been described that way before, but now... perhaps that wasn't such a good thing any more. It also bothered him that the very fact he was using Ichiru bothered him. What the hell was happening to him? "Yes..." he said slowly, almost distractedly. "Yes, I'm only using him..."

Kaname smirked. "That's so good to hear..." he murmured silkily, the relief he felt obvious in his voice. Rising slightly from his kneeling position on the tile floor, he leaned forward to kiss the earl gently on the man's full, bruised lips. "I would hate to have someone take you away from me..." There was the merest of threats in that statement, but the pureblood was sure Zero heard it. The aristocrat was perceptive like that.

The prince's assumptions were correct. Zero did hear the threat that his lover was trying to portray and it did not please him in the least. This was the second person to threaten Ichiru's life since he had discovered his twin. Coincidently, both people were from the same family. It was ironic in a way. Haruka Kuran had been the one to help the earl succeed in his search for his estranged little brother, and yet it was the king's own brother and son who were probably the biggest threats to the boy. Well, beside Shizuka Hio, of course. However, moving back to Kaname's threat, the barest hint that the idea of harm was being directed towards Ichiru caused the young hunter's blood to boil within his veins. "Kaname?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Leave me."

A mite taken aback, Kaname blinked. Then, he laughed. "Excuse me, what?" he begged of the earl, not quite believing his ears.

Zero closed his eyes lightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I said, leave me," he repeated in a sigh of exasperation. "I wish for you to stand up, turn towards the door, and exit the bathroom."

"But this is my bathroom!" Kaname bit out incredulously.

Cracking open a single eye, Zero growled quietly, "Since when have I cared? Now, leave me before I do something to you that we both regret."

Kaname still appeared very affronted (which, frankly, he had every right to be,) but he followed his lover's orders nonetheless. He rose cautiously to his feet, still eyeing the earl suspiciously, before striding out of the bathroom. He only reached the door, however, before he turned and shot the younger vampire a warning glare. "I'd be careful, Earl Kiryu, regarding that twin of yours. Nothing good can come of playing with curses."

Zero narrowed his lilac eyes at his paramour as the man exited the bathroom. The older man's statement had not pleased him at all. It had sounded as though it was a thinly veiled threat against Ichiru, something which did not sit kindly with the young earl at all. The boy already had too many threats upon his life as it was, even if he was unaware of them. Oh, how charming it must be to live a life of blissful ignorance...

Now finally alone in the bathroom that wasn't his, the room he truly had no right to order anyone out of, Zero let out a long sigh of frustration. He was getting in way over his head with all of this Ichiru business. The young earl had realized it the moment he had begun to see the younger boy as more than just a means to an end, as more than just a possession. What was it about that damned boy that made him crave his presence every second of every day? Perhaps the same blood that called Ichiru so irresistibly to him had the same effect on Zero? After all, they were twins. They shared blood more deeply than any other two people.

Sinking further into the porcelain tub, the aristocrat contemplated his toes for really no reason other than they were something to focus on other than his ignorant little brother. Not that it helped at all, for the moment he began pondering how unbecomingly long his toes were, the vague thought that Ichiru's were the same way entered his mind. Damn. Now everything about himself was going to remind him of Ichiru. _Of_ _course_, he thought logically. _We_ are _identical,_ _after_ _all_.

Figuring there was nothing else to do, Zero reached for the soap and proceeded to scrub himself. At least that would keep his mind off his twin. Oh, what a futile effort it was.

* * *

The day of the winter solstice marked possibly the largest celebration ever held in the realm. It commemorated the end of fall and the harvest, and stood as an effort to start off the long, cold winter ahead with some semblance of warmth and happiness. The main event was, of course, the grand masquerade ball held in the magnificent ballroom of the royal palace. However, that was by far not the only event. For many, the true greatest event was the festival held in the streets of the capital city.

For the week preceding the first day of winter, the streets of the capital were crowded with vendors and performers and the hustle and bustle simply enjoying life. Through the bitter air wafted the savoury scents of the special festival foods served exclusively at this time of year. The blare of dozens of individual musical groups blended with the shouts and laughter of the people gallivanting through the bursting thoroughfares, guided by the multicoloured lanterns strung along either side of the streets. Great iridescent blossoms of fire would explode overhead of the stilted men and the puppet shows and dancers and jugglers and fire-eaters and all the rest. Vendors would peddle their wares with the sort of cheer only available during the festival season. Of course, this was most likely because this was the most profitable time of the year for shop owners. With all this amiable energy pervading the air and Christmas being just around the corner, patrons were more apt to buy over-priced gifts and trinkets. Even so, not everything was ridiculously expensive. Quite a few sellers recognised the "less is more" policy and significantly lowered the prices of their goods.

That was not the point, however. The point was this was easily the most glorious time of year despite the death of the warmer days. With the solstice, Christmas, and New Year's all to celebrate, there was hardly a dour soul in all the land.

The exception to this rule was, as always, Earl Zero Kiryu.

In fact, Zero was the exact opposite of joyful for most of December and the following January. The earl took great issue with the whole exaltation of the holiday season, issues he voiced and demonstrated loudly. Such as now, for instance, as he glared menacingly at the gaily coloured baubles and brilliantly scented pine boughs, and the servants currently decking the halls with them. The king was truly going all out this year, decorating the palace so that it greatly resembled an overly commercialized winter wonderland. Nearly everywhere one looked, something shimmered or shone or clogged one's nostrils with the unbearable scent of peppermint, cinnamon, and pine. It was disgusting.

"Oh, Zero~!"

Rolling his head back to glance at the staircase behind him, Zero noticed Princess Yuki Kuran leaning coyly on the glossy railing, a spring of mistletoe swaying purposefully between her delicate fingers. "What is it, Yuki?" the young hunter growled, pretending to be oblivious to the traditional white berries.

The princess pouted, a rather adorable expression on the petite girl. "Don't pretend like you don't know!" she scoffed, leaning over the silver-haired man so that her long auburn hair cascaded beside his face. "You've been caught under the mistletoe! Tradition decrees that you must kiss me!"

Zero's lavender eyes at last flitted to the spring in the female vampire's slender hand. In an instant, the mistletoe withered and dissolved into greyish ash before blowing away. "What mistletoe? I see no mistletoe."

As expected, the princess was insulted. She gazed in disbelief at the hand that had once held the spring of mistletoe, her wine-coloured eyes flickering in what could only be called anger. The small pureblood had forgotten that the earl's control over plants far outreached the ability to manipulate the rose vines that originated from his own body. Still, it wasn't fair! "Zero!" she cried, a little whine in her voice. However, the distempered earl had pushed away from the banister and was pacing determinedly away from the vampire royal. Beginning to steam a little, Yuki lifted her skirt and continued to descend the stairs, nearly tripping as she reached the bottom. She hated wearing heels.

Frightfully glad the young man she was currently chasing didn't see her stumble, Yuki stormed after Zero, her hated heels clicking resolutely against the marble floor. When she finally caught up to the dour aristocrat, the vampire girl grabbed the former human by the arm and spun him around to face her, fixing the earl with a scolding glower. "Do not walk away from me, Lord Kiryu," she said, implementing the imperious tone she only used when she was particularly upset.

"My apologies, _Your_ _Majesty_," Zero replied sardonically, crossing his arms. Normally, the small pureblood's attempts to act of her station would have amused him, but now he just wasn't in the mood.

"What has been the matter with you lately?" Yuki demanded of her childhood companion, partly out of concern, but also partly because she was growing weary of the man's persistent foul mood. "Kaname said you were bad-tempered with him this morning as well."

"Good Lord, must you two nosy siblings tell each other everything?" cried Zero in annoyance. He was terribly sick of this pair discussing him behind his back. Simply because he shared both their beds didn't mean that he wanted to share his entire life with them, nor did it mean that they were free to talk about him when he wasn't around.

Yuki narrowed her russet eyes dangerously as she placed her hands in her hips. "Of _course_, we talk to one another!" she snapped incredulously. "He's my _fiancé_, after all! There are no secrets between us. Besides that, we're brother and sister! Siblings tend to share things with each other that they wouldn't normally share with others. You would understand if you had any siblings of... your... own..." The little vampire trailed off at the positively murderous expression on the earl's face. The princess's demeanour changed in an instant; her cheeks became flushed, and she bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Zero. I forgot about... you-know-who."

Zero maintained his glare for a good thirty seconds longer before his gaze softened. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his silver hair. "I wish your brother would forget about him," he growled under his breath, one fair eyebrow twitching in irritation.

Blinking, the tender princess tilted her head to the side in confusion. The girl had never been the brightest. Then, her large eyes lightened in comprehension. "Oh, is Brother's jealous streak acting up again?" Yuki inquired, already guessing at the answer.

"What do you think?" the former human snapped, clutching at his bangs.

The smaller form sighed in understanding. She was perfectly aware of her elder brother's tendency to be envious to almost dangerous proportions. There were times when he treated his own little sister and fiancée like a little home-wrecker because of their mutual relationship with Zero, and Yuki also knew the prince sometimes treated the earl in a similar manner because of her. However... "Well, I think I understand where my brother is coming from this time," the princess told the earl fairly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" barked Zero coarsely.

Yuki smiled gently, not letting the man's words get to her. "Well, think about it, Zero," the brunette girl said patiently. "You two have been together for a few good years now, and suddenly, there's this new person who's taking up all your attention."

"That boy is _not_ taking up all my attention!" Zero insisted stubbornly. "He's just some... thing I'm using to whittle away the time until I'm able to get what I want which he, of course, is going to give me. After that, I'll have no more need for him and that overly envious brother of yours can have me all to himself. Or at least, as much to himself as I was before."

"Which is what, Zero?" Yuki inquired quietly, a slightly concerned frown on her rose petal lips as she regarded the other vampire. She completely ignored the latter half of the young nobleman's speech regarding her brother. "What is that you want? You've been going on for years about vengeance and setting things right once you have the power to do so, but you have as of yet to elaborate to anyone what that means. Pray tell, Lord Kiryu, what is it that you have in mind for that human brother of yours?"

Zero narrowed his eyes menacingly at the petite vampire girl. Oh, how he despised that oh-so-quietly-fretful expression on the princess' sweet little face. It only served to irk him. How _dare_ she think she had any right to worry about him and his private business? How could she even _think_ she had even an inkling of understanding of what he had been through, what he was feeling? She was living the perfect life; loved and adored by her parents, engaged to the most eligible bachelor in the realm, surrounded by friends who worshipped her. How could she possibly know what it was like to lose everything? "You know what I want," he growled quietly. "And you know for what I need Ichiru." He began to walk away.

"Can you really do it, Zero? Sacrifice that boy just so you can be happy once more?"

Those softly spoken words were enough to stall the retreating earl. So now she was an expert on what was within his abilities to do? What next, a lecture on morals? That was the last thing he needed coming from a filthy bloodsucker. Forcing a mirthless laugh, Zero spun back around to face his old friend and took a few steps towards her, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet when he reached the girl. "Oh, but Your Majesty! I have no intention of sacrificing the human boy!" the silver-haired hunter informed Yuki, his overly jubilant voice so obviously mocking. "That would be something _your_ kind does! But in all seriousness," dropping his cheerful façade, Zero's voice became utterly sombre, "why do you think I'm putting so much effort into seducing this boy? Eventually, he'll be so infatuated with me that I won't _have_ to sacrifice him. He'll willing do the sacrificing himself. Now, if you excuse me..." Brushing past the princess, Zero proceeded to storm away.

Yuki, however, was not finished having her say.

"You're a terrible person, Zero Kiryu," she stated quietly, making certain her voice carried to the aristocrat. Once more, this was just enough to stop Zero in his tracks. With a frustrated sigh, he rolled his pallid violet eyes, but he hung around to hear out the young vampire. Half turning towards the earl, Yuki continued, "What happened to the sweet little boy I used to know? Hm?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Zero snapped, "Well, having my parents brutally murdered in cold blood right before my eyes might have something to with it." With that, he continued to stomp away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"To the pub!"

With the earl now out of sight, Yuki sighed and bowed her head, clasping her hands in front of her. "Oh, Zero," she murmured sorrowfully to herself. "You're so filled with hatred. Hatred for us, hatred for your parents' murderer, hatred for what you have become... But what you're becoming is so much worse."

"Princess Yuki!"

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Yuki gripped her skirts and whirled around to behold her governess, Ms. Momoyama, standing on the landing of the grand staircase. The kindly-looking older woman crossed her arms as she fixed her young pupil with a stern gaze, causing the dark-haired girl sweat a bit. "Y-yes, Ms. Momoyama?"

"You still have lessons to finish, childe," the governess informed the princess, lifting her skirts and turning to ascend the stairs behind her. "You can play with your friends afterwards."

A bit insulted at being spoken to as if she were a child, Yuki made an affronted noise, but followed after her governess nonetheless. "Yes, Ms. Momoyama."

* * *

Akatsuki Kain removed his hat as he stepped into the smoke-filled pub, revealing a head of wildly tousled strawberry blonde hair as he scanned the crowded room for a familiar face.

"Kain! Over here!" The cry directed the young nobleman's attention to a round booth tucked away into the corner of the pub. Nodding, Kain strode over to the booth to join his friends already stationed there. Ichijo, Shiki, and Rima Toya, Shiki's fiancée, were all gathered around a rather despondent-looking Kaname, who was throwing back what appeared to be brandy. Seiren, the pureblood's personal bodyguard, hovered nearby, appearing unobtrusive while still keeping a sharp eye out for any possible threat to her ward. "Good evening, Kain," greeted Ichijo pleasantly, never ceasing in the rubbing of Kaname's shoulder. "Aido's not joining us?"

"He might later," Kain answered as he lowered himself into the booth next to Ichijo, his amber eyes fixated on the slumped form of the prince. It was rare to see Kaname out with the rest of the group and rarer still to see him attempting to get pissed in a crowded pub. (The vampire's tolerance to alcohol was remarkably high, meaning getting drunk was next to impossible. This could either be seen as a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation.) "He and Ruka really started going at it, but they might be along later and—I'm sorry, but what is _Kaname_ doing here?" The conspicuous presence of the silently staring pureblood had finally bothered (well, not 'bothered' _per_ _se_; that was simply the only word Kain could think of at the moment) him enough to question it.

"Hm? Oh." With a saddened smile, Ichijo gazed to the dejected brunette to his left. "Well, it seems he and Zero are having a bit of a... of a lovers' spat, if you will."

"Meaning he just now realized the earl's more than a bit loose," Rima piped up from across the table, lazily dragging her delicate finger around the rim of her glass.

"Rima!" scolded Ichijo quietly.

Lifting her head, the sandy-haired girl blinked cerulean eyes dully. "What?" she asked, her tone flat. "We all know Kiryu isn't exactly faithful. I know of at least three people amongst ourselves alone whom have slept with him at one point or another." At this, Ichijo and Kain made a pointed effort not to look at each other. "Not to mention all the others he's managed to seduc--"

"Thank you, Rima!" Ichijo interjected forcefully, squeezing Kaname's shoulder much harder than was necessary. Honestly, between Shiki and Rima, the pair did more harm than good... Putting on his brightest, most encouraging face, Ichijo turned to his heartsick companion and cheered, "Don't let what she said get to you, Kaname! I'm sure that whoever Zero is fooling around with is just a phase. Soon enough, Zero will tire of this fling and will return to you in no t--"

"It's _not_ a _phase_," Kaname moaned, making his first noise of the evening. Rolling his head back so that it thumped against the leather-padded booth, the crowned prince lightly closed his wine-coloured eyes and took a deep breath. "He not even 'fooling around', as you so crassly put it. I would be a mite more understanding if he were doing so. I expect that of him. I'm not at all pleased with it and I truly wish he would cease such reckless behaviour, but as long as I am the one to whom he returns, for whom he truly cares, what does it matter? However, he has yet to even _touch _the boy as far as I'm aware, which is worrisome. Still, this stupid, insignificant little human servant boy... and he's all about which Zero can think! It's so... so... irritating! What does a human have that I do not? Nothing, I tell you! Nothing!"

Shiki stared blankly as his cousin huffed and puffed, taking another drink of brandy. "Kiryu's courting a human?" he asked when Kaname quieted, just to be sure. It was unusual for the young earl to become involved for with a human. The auburn-haired vampire suspected this was because the hunter thought humans to be greater beings than that of vampires, as should be expected of one from a hunter upbringing. That and vampires were much more loose than their non-blood-drinking counterparts, however; once bound to a mate, vampires remained bound for life. Thus, unbound vampires, particularly the young ones, loved to "experiment" and enjoy their freedom as much as possible before the time came to settle down. Humans, on the other hand, found this behaviour appalling.

"Yes, a _human_," Kaname replied to the younger nobleman's inquiry in exasperation. "Can you believe it? And nothing but a servant at that! What is he _thinking_...?"

"Isn't Kiryu betrothed to a human?" Kain popped up thoughtfully.

"Yes, to a Miss Sayori Wakaba, I believe," Ichijo answered with a little nod. "She's of a nouveau riche family, if I am not mistaken, a risky decision on his parents' part." Glancing over to Kaname, he added, "Isn't your sister frie--" The blonde aristocrat cut off at a reproachful glare from the pureblood. Bowing his head, Ichijo mumbled his apologies as he took to staring intently at his drink.

Dropping his head back and closing his eyes again, Kaname pinched the bridge of his nose. He could definitely feel a migraine coming on. "The fiancée doesn't _matter_," he informed his companions wearily, the vexation in his voice growing with every word. "All of us are engaged, anyway, save Aido and Ichijo." The latter mentioned grinned nervously. He wasn't entirely sure how long that statement would remain true. "Besides, it's not like Zero's going to marry her, in any case. He hasn't even revealed his true nature to her. He would never risk hurting her, the idiot. No, Miss Wakaba is hardly a threat. But this... this _boy_...!" The raven-haired man refused to go on, merely making an irritable noise.

The four others seated at the table exchanged questioning glances. None of them could see why this human boy the earl had become recently infatuated with was causing the prince such pains. Then again, this was the first time they had heard about one of Zero's affairs from a source other than the gossip of society ladies (well, besides those which had happened within their own circle, however; Kaname had been blissfully unaware of those for months). The former human usually had enough courtesy to sneak around and keep his... altercations quiet, although he was especially fussy about them being discovered. For Kaname himself to know explicitly of this particular affair was a curious thing, to say the least. Ichijo was about to ask Kaname how he even knew of this affair when an angry commotion entered the pub.

"That's just ridiculous, Aido! It is sometimes truly astounding how completely _idiotic_ you are!"

"Well, you're a shrew! And I don't see how heavier-than-air travel is ridiculous."

"Things that are heavier than air _fall_, imbecile!"

"What about birds?"

"...People are _not_ birds."

"No, which is why this is such a novel concept! To invent something that would give man the same abilities as birds..."

"Is positively _impossible_, you dolt!"

"I am _not_ a dolt!"

"Aido! Ruka! So glad you could join us," Ichijo greeted blithely as the pair approached the booth, bickering all the while. They hardly even noticed they had been spoken to until Ichijo politely cleared his throat.

"What?" Aido and Ruka snapped simultaneously, whipping their attention to the elder blonde.

With an anxious grin, Ichijo replied, "I was simply saying how nice it was for you to be able to join us."

"Hmph!" Ruka crossed her arms, sticking up her perfect little nose in an almost snobbish manner, displeasure written all over her lovely face. "We would have arrived sooner if the moron hadn't distracted me with his nonsense."

"If I'm the moron to whom you are referring, then I'll have you know that I am a certified genius," retorted Aido obstinately. "And nothing I have said is nonsense, you harlot! These sorts of things are happening! We live in an era of tremendous change, my dear!"

"Yes, but everything you've spoken of is quite clearly fiction." Ruka chuckled quietly, nearly maliciously, covering her mouth with her hand. "Perhaps you should give up inventing and take up writing penny dreadfuls!"

"Why you--"

"Would you both please kindly just _shut_ _up_?" This short command swiftly silenced the bickering pair, their eyes snapping to the bedraggled form positioned in the centre of the booth. Kaname was leaning forward on his elbows, rubbing his temples with his middle and forefingers. He didn't need to be hungover to acquire a splitting headache. Simply listening to Ruka and Aido argue was enough.

The two in question exchanged concerned glances bordering on the downright panic-stricken. Practically crawling over the others, Aido and Ruka implanted themselves on either side of the pureblood, immediately beginning their overly sympathetic cooing.

"What's the matter, Lord Kaname?"

"It's Kiryu, isn't it? I always knew this would happen..."

"He's a pig! Always has been, always will be!"

"You're much too good for him, Lord Kaname! Just get rid of him already!"

"Shut up! Will you both please just shut up!" No longer bothering with being courteous, Kaname found he had to use every amount of restraint simply to keep himself from ripping everyone in the vicinity to shreds. He was tired of all of this. The alcohol wasn't helping at all and he didn't think he could bear to listen to any more obligatory consolations. Yes, he was perfectly aware Zero possessed his fair share of issues. Didn't they all? However, the young hunter's inability to remain faithful wasn't what bothered him. At least, not at the moment.

Once again, the door to the pub opened and closed, and a new patron entered. This time, however, the addition of a new body was accompanied with a hostile quiet. The reason for this was discovered by peering through the smoke and over the tops of heads to spot a distinctive sheen of silvery hair. Zero was perfectly aware of the stir he had caused by merely entering the establishment. He had a tendency to do that wherever he happened to be, thus it had long ago become an occurrence worthy of little notice. He approached the bar.

"Why, isn't it the young Lord Kiryu?" the bartender chuckled as he washed out a glass with a rag behind the counter. "S'been a long time since _you've_ been in here."

Smirking, the person in question pulled himself up into a stool and leaned on the bar. "I've been away on business," Zero answered. "Haven't been able to get in lately. But I'm back for a good while now. At least, until the holiday season is over."

The bartender nodded, reaching under the bar for the myriad of spirits he kept there. "Well, that's good to hear," the man murmured gruffly, pulling out a bottle of green liquid from beneath the bar. "Suppose your business went well. Anyway, you'll have your usual I presume?"

"Not tonight," Zero answered, holding up a hand to stop the bartender from preparing his usual order. "No, I was thinking something more along the lines of a Guinness tonight, my good man."

Hesitating, the bartender lifted a dark, bushy eyebrow at the young aristocrat, but shrugged and replaced the bottle he had first pulled out back beneath the bar. He then removed a tulip-shaped pint glass and strode over to one of the several casks situated behind him, twisting the nozzle. As Zero watched as the glass filled with the dark, dry stout, he could feel a distinct burning on the side of his head, the kind of burning one only experienced when one was being stared at fixedly. He didn't bother to glance over to see who was staring at him so intently until the bartender pointed it out. "Looks like someone's got their eye on you..."

Allowing his lilac eyes to slide to his left, Zero took note of a pair of crimson irises focused exclusively on him. This did not faze the earl in the least. He had expected the pureblood to be here. After all, this was the pub frequented by the man and his little group of confidantes. However, that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to stop in here for a pint.

"Been staring at you ever since you came in," the bartender added, sliding the young hunter his glass.

Zero examined the stout in front of him passively, letting in breath for a moment. "Yes, well, he's not exactly happy with me at the moment," he replied with a shrug. When the barkeep fixed him with a questioning glance, he elaborated, "We had a bit of a row earlier this evening. Nothing about which to be concerned."

Returning to washing out glasses, the bartender chuckled. "You know, you're the only person I know who can get into a row with someone from the royal family and walk away completely unscathed."

"That's not that impressive," Zero insisted with a sneer. "Now, getting into a row with Asato Ichijo and walking away unscathed, _that's_ impressive."

The bartender blinked. "Did you really do that?"

A smirk and a drink. "Perhaps. It's impossible to tell with me."

The older man chuckled. "You little liar...!"

"Yes, he seems to have an unfortunate habit of compulsively lying."

The deep, smooth voice caused both Zero and the barkeep to glance to the dark form now hovering to the earl's left. Kaname had moved quickly and silently to his beloved's side, no longer able to maintain his distance from the silver-haired young man. Zero couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by this. "You know, there's nothing that says I can't enjoy a pint in the same drinking establishment as you and your... friends," the younger vampire growled, turning away from the prince.

Kaname gave a soft smile at this. "I know that, and I have no intention on throwing you out," the wavy-haired vampire said quietly. Then, he chuckled a little and added, "In fact, we were just talking about you. You're such a whore for attention I was wondering if somewhere in your filthy body you may have picked up on this fact."

Zero snorted disdainfully at the insult. However, the young man was much too thick-skinned to let something as immature as slinging revilements get to him. "Hardly," he sniffed, swallowing more of his drink. "I frequent this place quite often, as this good man can surely tell you." The bartender glanced up at the pureblood and offered a curt nod. Zero also turned to the brunette and cocked a fair eyebrow. "See? Your presence here has nothing to do with mine."

The older vampire narrowed his ruby eyes dubiously at his obstinate paramour. Then, he leaned down so that his lips were right next to the former human's ear and murmured so only the younger man could hear him, "I love you dearly, my lovely earl, but I would be careful of that mouth of yours. There's only so much trouble out of which I can bail you. And my protection doesn't extend to your... _most_ _important_ _person_."

Eyes widening, Zero spun around to demand to know what Kaname knew, for it was obvious the man knew something, but he was gone, along with his loyal entourage. Growling low in his throat, the vampire earl returned to his drink. Damn those bloodsuckers and their pompous attitudes! Obviously, the pureblood Kuran siblings were the worst of them all. How dare they presume to know so much about him and about Ichiru? They haven't even met the boy!

Then, there was Kaname referring to Ichiru as Zero's 'most important person'...

Not a lot of time was allowed the aristocrat to dwell on this, however, as a man suddenly burst into the pub, appearing very out of breath. "A... a... body...!" the man panted, patting his reddened face with a handkerchief. "Another body's been found...!"

"Where?!"

"Right outside! In the alley!"

A flutter of panic travelled through the crowded pub as the patrons exchanged frightened expressions. Another murder? Here of all places? Now, of all times, when the pub was as packed as it was? How terrifying! Why had no one heard anything? The whole situation was unthinkable!

While all other bodies were caught up in a wave of panic, Zero could only think one thing as he gathered up his coat and threw some currency down on the bar. _Damn_ _it_...!

* * *

"Ichiru! Ichiru, wake up!"

The boy in question blinked in partial shock as he was awoken rather abruptly by violent shaking and a familiar, excited voice. Pushing himself up into a more upright position, Ichiru rubbed his eyes sleepily and moaned, "Whaaaaat, Maria? Why'd ya have t' wake me up? I's havin' such a good dream..."

"Oh, never mind that!" Maria scoffed, letting the human know she quite frankly cared less about his rest than what she had to say as she bounced eagerly in her seat, gazing raptly out of the carriage window. "Look! We're almost there! And you can see the entire city from here! Oh, isn't it lovely...?"

Sitting up more fully, Ichiru yawned widely and stretched, cracking open one gleaming eye to peer at his small companion. Maria was from a noble family formerly, wasn't she? Surely she had been to the capital city dozens of times before. He couldn't see why she was getting so worked up when all he, a person who had never been to the realm's central city, wanted to do was sleep. Even so, he humoured his friend's fervour and crawled across the seat to look out the darkened window with the petite vampire girl. "Oh, wow!"

"See? Didn't I tell you? It's amazing, isn't it?"

Ichiru could only nod, his eyes wide as he beheld the glittering jewel that lay beneath them. The boy had only even been to lesser cities before, and while they were certainly not shabby, they were nothing about to which to brag. Especially not compared to this. He hadn't even entered his country's capital city yet, and already he was blown away. The entire metropolis was bedazzled with a multitude of glowing orbs of all colours, representing the brightly pigmented lanterns strung along the streets in preparation for the upcoming festival. Even more lights illuminated the carriages of taxis and guests of all classes arriving for the festivities. Ichiru never knew so many people could be fit into one place, and he had seen a lot of people in his relatively short lifetime. It was moments like these that made the servant boy realise that, whatever else he may have been through, he was truly a sheltered child.

"If you think it looks spectacular _now_, just wait until we actually get _in_ to the city!" cried Maria, barely able to conceal her joy at returning to the city where she had spent so many wonderful winters and summers as a child. "Oh, I can't wait to show you the Cloccarium and the Babylon Gardens, although it would be better to see those in the spring... But then there's the Tower and the royal palace itself is absolutely gorgeous... And then there's the bridge the king ordered to be built which I've heard is an absolute engineering marvel! Of course, there's the festival itself, which is so much fun! Just you wait! It's much more fun than the masquerade ball."

Laughing at his companion's obvious enthusiasm, Ichiru playfully rested his crossed arms atop Maria's head and said, "Plannin' on givin' me the grand tour, huh?"

Maria leaned her head back and stuck her tongue out at the larger adolescent. "Well, I have to, don't I?" she retorted with an imperious sniff. "If left to your own devices, you will only end up in trouble."

Ichiru's face fell. Removing his arms from the young girl's head, he placed his knuckles to her temples and began twisting them furiously. "What was that 'bout me gettin' in t' trouble?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Cut it out, Ichiru!" Escaping from her friend's clutches, Maria rounded on the human boy and clouted him in the arm, repeating the action several more times as Ichiru backed away to the other side of the seat, his hands in front of his face.

"Hey, hey! Watch it! Human, remember? 'M fragile!"

"Oh, so you only admit to it when it's beneficial to you, is that it?"

"Ow! Yeah, 'course! What else good is it t' me?"

"Why, you little--!"

"Such children."

This cold, curt remark effectively ceased Ichiru's and Maria's faux boxing match, their eyes snapping to the dark form seated across the carriage from themselves. Rin's beady, black eyes were fixed murderously on the pair of young people, causing their stomachs to sink with an inexplicable dread. They had nearly forgotten the steward was there. The two junior servants could hardly believe their misfortune at being stuck in a confined space with the wretched old raven for such a long period of time, nearly an entire day.

Of course, Rin's sentiments were exactly the same. He had expected to be spending the journey in Shizuka's carriage, but the lady had insisted on riding alone. So, he had ended up with the two most irksome troublemakers on staff. Oh, happy day. He couldn't even see why the duchess had wanted to bring these children along. "Whatever you two may think," the manservant informed Ichiru and Maria, who were now sitting on either side of their respective seats with their heads bowed, "this is most certainly _not_ a vacation. You, boy, are to accompany Lady Shizuka to the masquerade ball in lieu of Lord Rido, who is away on business. Before and after that singular event, you are to be confined to the kitchen, assisting the palace staff. You are to let as few people as possible see your face. Is that understood?"

"Yessir."

"And you are, under no circumstances, to interact with Earl Kiryu. The man will undoubtedly be there, and you are to avoid him at any cost. Is _that_ understood?"

Ichiru hesitated a moment before answering. His heart had picked up a beat at the mention of the mysterious earl, and he suddenly became very aware of the weight of the handgun in the interior pocket of his coat. Painfully mindful of the blood rushing to his face, the human servant muttered, "Yessir."

Rin nodded, his dark eyes lingering suspiciously on the boy and his flushed cheeks before moving on to Maria. "And you, girl. You will be serving as a supplementary handmaiden to Lady Shizuka, although she has granted you permission to visit your parents at her discretion. While not in service to the lady, you will also be assisting the palace staff. This is a very busy time of year for them. Is that understood?"

Maria nodded timidly. "Yes, sir."

"And don't even think of sneaking the boy off with you when you go to visit your parents!" the elder servant scolded in a pre-emptive strike against what he expected to occur.

Sapphire eyes widening in mock horror, Maria shook her head vehemently. "Oh, _no_, sir!" she cried. "I would _never_ do that!"

The older vampire did not look so sure, but could think of nothing to say to the contrary. Crossing his legs and arms, Rin leaned back and examined the two adolescent servants in front of him critically, making them sweat before speaking again. "All right, just as long as you both understand... Now, can you possibly remain _silent_ until we reach the palace? _Please_?"

Nodding in the requested silence, Ichiru and Maria stared resolutely at their feet. The human boy was still trying to calm his wildly pounding heart. The damned muscle had been beating erratically ever since Rin had brought up Kiryu. He wasn't even quite sure why. Was he excited to possibly see the man again? Was he worried? It was difficult to say. Memories from their last encounter started flashing incessantly through his mind. He had actually kissed Kiryu voluntarily! He had almost enjoyed it, as well. Almost being the operative word as Kiryu had taken things too far, like he always did. God, he felt so conflicted...

A nudge of his foot caused Ichiru to pull himself from his thoughts and glance over to Maria, who was staring at him with concern flickering in her eyes. Suddenly, the boy felt a bit guilty. He was constantly making Maria worry about him. Naomi, too. He offered the girl a reassuring smile to dissuade any unwarranted concern. Maria still didn't appear convinced, but left the boy alone nonetheless.

With a silent sigh, Ichiru turned to gaze out the window. He shouldn't think about Kiryu. The earl only served to confuse him. It almost wasn't worth talking to the man, even if there was the distinct possibility that he may know something about his family. He never seemed to get around to asking him, anyway. Perhaps he should look for other means of discovering who he is. Besides, he might not even see Kiryu during this trip, so there was no reason to get his knickers in a bunch.

Yes, he just wouldn't think of Kiryu. He would enjoy this rare trip out, even if it killed him.

Actually, considering his track record, that probably was the safest thought.


	9. Author's Note

**A Brief Author's Note!**

I know a lot of you are frustrated that I haven't updated in a while, including people who know me personally, and believe me, I feel your pain. I actually have a lot of ATBRR all planned out, and I feel terribly upset that the likelihood I'll be able to share this story in its entirety is growing slim. So, just for a bit of clarity on the situation, here's what's going on:

I've recently begun working thirty plus hours a week at a job that's rather time-consuming, in addition to being something I've never done before. Before that, I had just begun attending college and had school work to attend to, and had run into a bit of a rough spot in my personal life that I hadn't been expecting. This has left me very little time to keep up with things like housework, let alone do things I enjoy doing, including writing.

Furthermore, I've become displeased with the first few chapters of ATBRR and have been attempting to rewrite them, along with adding a prologue and writing the poem the fanfic was originally meant to be in order to in-cooperate into the story, in an effort to make them seem more congruent with the plot I have in mind and more put-together. This, coupled with my other planned long-running fanfic, has been very tedious work. Not to mention every other hobby of mine tends to be extremely time-consuming (I read quite a bit and watch a lot of anime as well). I've also been trying to focus my attention more on my original pieces as well, especially since I plan to be an author in the (hopefully) near future.

I thank you all for you continued reviews and support, and I wish you to know I'm trying my damnedest to get ATBRR back off hiatus.

Sincerest apologies for the inconvenience,

OnHoldWithTheCall


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